World’s Oldest Ten Commandments Tablet Sold

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An important artifact of early biblical archaeology has a new owner after a fierce bidding war. The world’s earliest known tablet of the Ten Commandments sold at Heritage Auction November 16 in Beverly Hills for $850,000.  The lot opened at $300,000, a 50% premium to the $200,000 reserve.  Two telephone bidders battled to the ultimate sale price, and […]

Roman Catacomb Painting Raises Questions on Role of Women

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Excerpted from ArtNews: At the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla, Rome’s oldest Christian cemetery, ancient art may indicate that woman were once priests, reports the BBC. Scholars have long been in disagreement over the meaning of one fresco, the Fractio Panis, which appears to depict a Eucharistic meal, with seven seated figures at a table, one breaking bread. […]

Byzantine-era Pottery Vessel Saved Before Tumbling into the Sea

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A strong storm this week on the Southern Coast of Israel partially revealed a Byzantine-era pottery jar precariously positioned on a cliff above the sea. Emergency excavations safely extricated the vessel which is believed to date to the 4th-6th Century AD when the area was home to a prosperous Byzantine costal community. Picture and details: […]

Egyptian Museum Criticized for Hasty Repair of King Tutankhamun’s Beard

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The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is making international headlines after disclosure that tee-shirted workmen hastily reattached the blue and gold braided beard of the iconic burial mask of the boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun.  Some reports say the repair was made with epoxy known for its strong adhesion properties but also rarely used on archaeological objects because it is not […]