Studies of Biblical Interest

Rare Funerary Stele Handed Over to Al-Imam Al-Shafi’i Antiquities Zone by Archaeologist Tamer El-Menshawy | Sada Elbalad On the morning of July 24, 2025, Egyptian archaeologist Tamer El-Menshawy announced the handover of a rare funerary stele to the Al-Imam Al-Shafi’i Antiquities Zone

A rare funerary stele—found during modern construction in Cairo—has been handed over for preservation at the Al-Imam Al-Shafi’i Visitor Center. From ancient tomb guardians to today’s archaeologists, the mission is the same: protect the past. What piece of history would you guard? 🪦✨

Egypt Uncovers 2,000-Year-Old City, Once a Center of Early Christianity A city dating to the early Coptic period, between the 3rd and 7th centuries CE, has been unearthed in western Egypt’s Kharga Oasis.

In Egypt’s western oases, archaeologists uncovered two ancient churches built atop a city first settled in the 3rd century BCE. A crossroads of pagan, Christian, and cultural life. What ancient transition would you most want to witness?

Rare 4,000-year-old Egyptian handprint discovered on a "soul house" A handprint dating back 4,000 years has been found on a "soul house," a type of ancient Egyptian tomb offering, which will go on display in England this fall.

A 2,000-year-old Egyptian “soul house” bears something extraordinary: a complete handprint from the craftsperson who made it. Touch frozen in time. If you could leave your handprint for the year 4025, where would you place it? ✋🏺

Carved Ivory Emerges from Biblical Jerusalem Compared to surrounding regions, Judah has revealed relatively few human figurines. That does not mean, however, that such figurines were unknown.

Rare find in ancient Jerusalem: archaeologists uncover the city’s only known carved ivory human figure from the Iron Age: a woman’s head less than an inch tall. A glimpse into Judah’s elite trade, artistry, and cultural connections. #Archaeology #Jerusalem www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...

"Extremely rare" bronze armor from Czechia turns out to be a Trojan War era artifact 3,200-year-old warrior armor links Moravia to the world of Homeric myth.

Near Brno, Czech Republic, a bent bronze fragment mistaken for debris has been identified as part of a rare 3,200-year-old Late Bronze Age warrior’s chest plate—only the second such armour piece found in the region. #Archaeology #BronzeAge #Europe

Spanish discovery suggests Roman-era ‘church’ may have been a synagogue Oil lamp fragments point to presence of previously unknown Jewish population in Ibero-Roman town of Cástulo

Recent finds in Cástulo, Spain suggest that a Roman-era building long thought to be a church may instead have been a synagogue, indicating the presence of a before unknown Jewish community in the Ibero-Roman period. #Archaeology #JewishHistory #RomanEmpire

Has the Name of King Josiah’s Trusted Official Been Found on an Ancient Sealing? - The Temple Mount Sifting Project The Temple Mount Sifting Project is an archaeological endeavour which sifts earth destructively and illegally bulldozed from the Temple Mount in 1999 by Muslim authorities. Since 2004, the Temple…

A rare clay seal impression reading “Yed[a‛]yah son of Asayahu” has emerged from recent sifting work. While its exact context remains uncertain, the name invites comparison with figures from the time of King Josiah and the biblical scroll discovery narrative. #Epigraphy

Mysterious Pre-Islamic Arabian Script Deciphered n the deserts of Oman and Yemen can be found a treasure trove of ancient inscriptions written in pre-Islamic Arabian scripts.

Long undeciphered, the Dhofari 1 script from southern Arabia—over 2,000 years old—may now be yielding its secrets. Ahmad Al-Jallad (Ohio State) proposes a breakthrough in reading this enigmatic writing system, opening new paths into pre-Islamic Arabian history. #Epigraphy

Digging deep for new insights into ancient societies At archaeological sites in Egypt and Turkey, faculty in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations are making surprising discoveries.

Faculty in Yale’s Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations continue to shape our understanding of the ancient world through active fieldwork. Current excavations by Weiss, Darnell, and Moeller are mapped here, highlighting ongoing contributions to ancient studies.

Star of David with a Cross Found in Roman-Byzantine Mosaic in Türkiye: Rare Symbolism Unearthed in Unexpected Discovery - Anatolian Archaeology A Roman-Byzantine mosaic featuring a rare Star of David with a cross and a Greek petition was uncovered in southeastern Türkiye’s...

A Roman–Byzantine mosaic unearthed in Ergani (Diyarbakır, Türkiye) features a Star of David enclosing a Christian cross. An unusual iconographic blend! The 35m² floor also bears a six-line Greek inscription. Discovered during a modern burial in 2025. #Archaeology #LateAntiquity

OF CAPTIVE STORM GODS AND CUNNING FOXES: NEW INSIGHTS INTO EARLY SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY, WITH AN EDITION OF NI 12501 | IRAQ | Cambridge Core OF CAPTIVE STORM GODS AND CUNNING FOXES: NEW INSIGHTS INTO EARLY SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY, WITH AN EDITION OF NI 12501 - Volume 86

An ED IIIb tablet from Nippur preserves a fragmentary Sumerian myth of the storm god Iškur’s captivity and rescue by a fox. Though incomplete, recurring motifs offer insight into the longue durée of Mesopotamian myth. #Assyriology #Cuneiform #AncientLiterature

Alexander Henry Rhind: The first experienced archaeologist to excavate in Egypt | National Museums Scotland Alexander Henry Rhind (1833–1863) was a groundbreaking Scottish archaeologist. His experience excavating prehistoric sites in Scotland informed his innovat

Often overlooked due to his early death, Alexander Henry Rhind (1833–1863) was the first trained archaeologist to excavate in Egypt. His pioneering methods, shaped by work in Scotland, helped lay the foundations of modern archaeological practice. #Archaeology #History

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references New study of 3,800-year-old Sinai inscriptions may reference Moses, reigniting debate over the biblical figure’s historical existence.

New claims suggest 3,800-year-old Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions from an Egyptian mine mention Moses, the earliest extra-biblical reference. The reading is unverified and contested, but could reignite debates over the Exodus narrative. #Archaeology #History

'Nolan may be the only person who could do this': How The Odyssey is already gunning to be 2026's biggest film Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey has taken the unusual step of selling some tickets a year early. Is it a way forward for beleaguered studios – or just a stunt?

🎬 Nolan’s The Odyssey turns Homer’s epic into a modern cinematic pilgrimage, reminding us how ancient stories, from the Odyssey to the Bible, still shape our imagination, values, and sense of home. #TheOdyssey #Bible #AncientNarratives #EpicCinema www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...

Historic Roman bath draws visitors in central Türkiye The ancient Roman bath Basilica Therma, also locally known as the “King’s Daughter,” in Türkiye’s central province of Yozgat’s Sarıkaya continues to attract visitors, especially expatriates returning…

🏛️ Türkiye’s 2,000-year-old Roman bath, “King’s Daughter,” echoes the healing waters of the Bible, from Bethesda to Naaman. A reminder of shared Roman-era beliefs in the power of water across ancient faiths. #BibleHistory #RomanEmpire #Türkiye #AncientHealing #BiblicalParallels

📜 X-ray tech reveals hidden Buddhist scrolls without unwrapping them, like digital scans used to read ancient biblical texts. Across faiths, the reverence for sacred writings runs deep. #SacredTexts #Bible #Buddhism #DigitalHumanities #Manuscripts www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Tiny 2,600-year-old clay sealing inscribed with biblical name found in Temple Mount soil Minuscule artifact discovered at the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project may reference an official who worked for King Josiah and who appears in II Kings and II Chronicles

In the past 20 years, as sifting techniques became more sophisticated and the practice more widespread in archaeological excavations across the region, the number of bullae from the field work has multiplied. #Archaeology www.timesofisrael.com/tiny-2600-ye...

Such a missed opportunity!

Contextualizing ancient texts with generative neural networks - Nature Aeneas, a generative neural network trained on ancient texts, helps historians contextualize inscriptions and perform epigraphic tasks, offering an improved starting point for historical research.

🧾 Aeneas, a new AI for ancient inscriptions, could transform biblical studies, restoring lost texts, dating fragments, and uncovering parallels. A game-changer for decoding the ancient world. #AI #BibleHistory #Epigraphy #DigitalHumanities

Study casts doubt on ‘incestuous royalty’ in Neolithic Ireland New research has cast doubts over suggestions an incestuous social elite ruled over the ancient people of Ireland more than 5,000 years ago.

🏛️ DNA from Ireland’s Newgrange tomb suggests no ruling elite, despite one case of incest. Unlike biblical or Egyptian elites, Neolithic society here was likely communal, not dynastic. A more equal prehistoric world than we thought. #AncientDNA #Newgrange #Archaeology

Genomic diversity and structure of prehistoric alpine individuals from the Tyrolean Iceman’s territory - Nature Communications Here, the authors perform genomic analysis of prehistoric individuals from the Italian Alps, to reveal a genetic shift from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic and genetic continuity from the Neolithic…

🧬 Ancient DNA from the Eastern Italian Alps reveals deep ties to Anatolian Neolithic farmers—echoing movements from the biblical cradle of civilization. Even Ötzi the Iceman fits the pattern. Steppe ancestry appears ~2400 BC, hinting at broader Bronze Age shifts. #AncientDNA

🖋️🖼️📷📖 Yes, SBI publishes poetry. We also welcome:

Short fiction

Musical interpretations

Visual art

Opinion pieces & personal essays

We make space for work that doesn’t fit “the usual” academic journal because ideas don’t always come as essays.

#AcademicCreativity #PoetryAndFaith #ReligionAndArt

Pella: A Window on Survival Jesus prophesied that the Temple Mount's beautiful stones would be thrown down within a generation and warned the residents to flee. His followers heeded his warning and fled to Pella for safety.

Before 2012, Mark Wilson only knew Pella as a town in Iowa, until his research led him to ancient Pella in Jordan, believed to be a refuge for early Christians fleeing Jerusalem after Jesus. A lost chapter of biblical history. 🏔️📖 #Pella #EarlyChurch

An early Coptic city unveiled in Egypt’s Western Desert - Coptic - Antiquities An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has unveiled a significant discovery in the heart of the Western Desert of the remains of the central residential city…

🇪🇬 A major find in Egypt's Western Desert: archaeologists have uncovered the central residential city of Kharga Oasis from the early Coptic period, shedding new light on life in late antiquity. 🏛️✨ #Archaeology #Egypt #CopticHistory

Major expansion in the human niche preceded out of Africa dispersal - Nature Analysis of species distribution models in a pan-African database comprising chronometrically dated archaeological sites over the past 120,000 years shows major expansion in the human niche from…

New research shows humans developed a broader ecological niche before the major migration out of Africa ~50,000 years ago—adapting to deserts, forests, and more. This flexibility may have been the secret to our global success. 🌍🧠 #HumanOrigins #Anthropology #OutOfAfrica

A 100,000-year-old burial site in Israel is changing what we know about early humans Archaeologists believe they have found one of the oldest burial sites in the world at a cave in Israel, where the well-preserved remains of early humans dating back some 100,000 years were carefully…

Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered one of the world’s oldest known burial sites - dating back 100,000 years. Found in Tinshemet Cave, the remains were placed with ceremonial objects. #Archaeology #Prehistory

What the Herodion will look like after the “facelift”: The architectural masterpiece that has seen everything – From bullfights & Delphic Festivals to Maria Callas & Rudolf Nureyev - ProtoThema English The incredible stories of the Herodion – Closing for three years to restore damage to the floor, arches & seating, as well as to correct mistakes made during previous restoration interventions

The incredible Herodion is closing for 3 years to restore its floors, arches & seating — and to fix errors from past restorations. A fresh start to preserve history! 🏛️🔧 #Herodion #Restoration

Was Caligula a madman? Maybe. But he also knew his medicine, scholars find The Roman Emperor Caligula, notorious for his blood lust, may have had a strong general knowledge of medicine, according to a new study.

New study suggests that Caligula, the notoriously bloodthirsty Roman Emperor, may have also had a surprising grasp of medicine. Brutal and clinical? 🩸🏛️

Syria’s treasure hunting fever - podcast What can be done to stop Syria’s unprecedented scramble for antiquities? William Christou reports

New report by William Christou sheds light on Syria’s unprecedented scramble for antiquities — and how we can stop it #HeritageProtection #SyriaCrisis

Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies? - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Did alcohol facilitate the evolution of complex societies?

New study links alcohol to the rise of complex societies. Feasting, bonding, and power-building over fermented drinks. Critical biblical scholars, take note: maybe that wine at Cana wasn’t just a miracle... it was politics. #BiblicalStudies #Anthropology www.nature.com/articles/s41...