Jerusalem Tracker: News, Publications, and Media about the Holy City (No. 8)
Helpful lists of new material about Jerusalem
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This post is part of a quarterly series with the goal of collating all new material about historical Jerusalem in one place. Most of the content listed below was created or published after June 2024 (forthcoming material is not included). I currently track over 230 periodicals, 70 book publishers, and numerous popular outlets in search of relevant publications and media. You can view the archive of previous posts here. I hope this list is helpful in supporting your interests in historical Jerusalem.
New Academic Articles about Jerusalem
Book Reviews
“Review of The History of Jerusalem, Musa Al-Basit et al (eds)” (Turkish) in Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies by Recep Tayyip Özgüç (open access)
“Review of Owning Books and Preserving Documents in Medieval Jerusalem: The Library of Burhan al-Din By Said Aljoumani and Konrad Hirschler” in Journal of Islamic Studies by Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila
History of Jerusalem
The latest issue of the Journal of Ancient Judaism explores Antiochus III’s Decrees for Jerusalem in the following articles:
“Antiochus III’s Decrees for Jerusalem and the Issue of Comparison” by Meir and Rhyder (open access)
“The “Charter for Jerusalem” and the Seleucid Conquest of the Southern Levant. Problems of Authenticity and Exemplarity” by Eckhardt (open access)
“Antiochus III and Jerusalem: A Seleucid Paradigm?” by Kosmin
“Purity, Cult, and Empire: The Proclamation of Antiochus III Concerning the Temple and City of Jerusalem” by Rhyder
“Forgetting the Seleucids. The Afterlife of Antiochus III’s Decree” by Meir
“Archive, Architecture, and the Politics of Memory in Josephus’s Jewish Antiquities 12 and Antiochus III’s Edicts for Jerusalem” by Portier-Young
“Divina Vestigia: Tracking the Early History of Jesus’ Footprints at the Mount of Olives” in Essays on Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity in Honour of Oded Irshai, Bitton-Ashkelony and Goodman (eds) by Limor
“Eudocia, Pulcheria, and Juvenal: Competition in the Field of Religion and the Built Environment of Jerusalem in the Fifth Century CE” in Essays on Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity in Honour of Oded Irshai, Bitton-Ashkelony and Goodman (eds) by Ashekazi
“The Qur’an’s Holy House: Mecca or Jerusalem?” (book chapter) in The Quest of the Historical Muhammad and Other Studies on Formative Islam by Shoemaker
“Yoḥannǝs IV and the Patriarchate of Alexandria: Obtaining Four Coptic Bishops while Ceding Nothing on Jerusalem Issue (1876–1882)” in Aethiopica by Ancel (open access)
“The Holy Land of Saints: The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Life Story of St. Marie Alphonsine” in Religions by Raveh
Jerusalem and Ancient Literature
“The “City of David” in Biblical Historiography and the Location of the Millo” in Israel Exploration Journal by Na’aman
“Perpetual Fires in the Jerusalem Temple through a Mediterranean Perspective: Regularity, Eternity, Exemplarity” in Journal for the Study of Judaism by Blidstein (open access)
“Cyril’s New Jerusalem and His Omission of Local Church History” in Essays on Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity in Honour of Oded Irshai, Bitton-Ashkelony and Goodman (eds) by Livneh
“The Reasons for the Differences in Interpretations of Some Orientalists and Commentators on the Hadiths about Bayt al-Maqdis and al-Masjid al-Aqsa” (Turkish) in Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies by Kutluay (open access)
Archaeology of Jerusalem
“Ingestible identity: pigs in pagan ritual in Aelia Capitolina (Roman Jerusalem) between the Second Temple period and early Christianity” in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences by Perry-Gal, Lieberman, and Uziel
“The 4th Century Walls of Jerusalem and the Bordeaux Pilgrim's 'Wall of Sion'“ in Revue Biblique by Wightman
“Medieval Holy Sepulchre Chapels: Experience and Memory of Jerusalem” in Religions by Hennessy
“A Re-Examination of the Sources of Inspiration of Ethiopian Concentric Prayer Houses: Tracing an Architectural Concept from the Roman and Byzantine East to Islamic and Crusader Jerusalem to Solomonic Ethiopia” in Religions by Kribus (open access)
“Stone Deterioration of the Western Wall: Chemical and Mineralogical Characterization of Salts” (book chapter) in Advanced Nondestructive and Structural Techniques for Diagnosis, Redesign and Health Monitoring for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Osman, Moropoulou, and Lampropoulos (eds) by Shor, Zuiden, Wieler, and Asscher (available on Academia.edu)
“Silwan (East Jerusalem): Trying to Breach the Archaeological Siege of a Community under Occupation” in Community Archaeology in Israel/Palestine, Raz Kletter, Liora Kolska Horwitz, and Emanuel Pfoh (eds) by Mizrachi
Articles in Gabriel: Tell this Man the Meaning of his Vision (Daniel, 8:16). Studies in Archaeology, Epigraphy, Iconography and the Biblical World in Honor of Gabriel Barkay on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday, Deutsch and Lemaire (eds):
“The Growth of Pre-exilic Jerusalem According to the Book of Chronicles” by Levin
“Muslim Burial Practice in Light of the Findings of the Excavation at the Mamilla Cemetery in Jerusalem” by Shavit
New salvage excavation reports in Hadashot Arkheologiyot (all open access)
“Jerusalem, Arnona Neighborhood” by Fried
“Jerusalem, Bet Isra’el Street” by Fried
“Jerusalem, Rahel Imenu Street” by Levy
“Jerusalem, The Jewish Quarter” by Silverberg
“Jerusalem, The Jewish Quarter” by Weksler-Bdolah
“Jerusalem, Old City, David Street” by Re’em at Atlan
“Jerusalem, Giv‘at Ram” by Fried
New Books about Jerusalem
Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies, Hillel Geva Volume
Many articles in this volume focus on Jerusalem
Representing the Destruction of Jerusalem: Literary Artistry and the Shaping of Memory in 2 Kings 25, Lamentations, and Ezekiel by Cathleen Kavita Chopra-McGowan (dissertation)
The Historical Jesus and the Temple. Memory, Methodology, and the Gospel of Matthew by Michael Patrick Barber
Jerusalem the Center of the Universe: Its Archaeology and History (1800–100 BCE) by Israel Finkelstein
With the exception of the introduction and a short entry about Middle Bronze Age Jerusalem, all the contained articles have been published elsewhere.
New Pop/Social Media and Blogs about Jerusalem
Daughter Zion, Jerusalem Personified (thetorah.com)
The Violation of Jerusalem (thetorah.com)
In the Service of Empires: How Ancient Jerusalem Became Great (HA)
Hunting for the Upper Room in Jerusalem: The Last Supper’s Upper Room in Early Christian Art (BAR/David Christian Clausen)
Who Blocked the Golden Gate? (Alex Stein)
Jerusalem and Charlemagne (ASOR/Jodi Magness)
Who’s Buried at the Jaffa Gate? (Alex Stein)
Unveiling Jerusalem: Jodi Magness’s comprehensive archaeological journey through time (JP)
The Unusual Origins of an Iconic East Jerusalem Hotel (Jerusalem Story)
My Aunt’s Mamilla (Jerusalem Story)
The history of the parish of Jerusalem through the eyes of a young Arab friar (Terra Sancta Museum)
The Nusseibeh Family: Khazraj Roots That Grew and Blossomed in Jerusalem (Jerusalem Story)
Beyond the Four Quarters: A book about Jerusalem's Old City shatters some sacred cows while perpetuating others (Alex Stein)
“We Do Not Describe Jerusalem—We Interpret It”: Raed Saadeh and His Model of Jerusalem (Jerusalem Story)
Contemporary art exhibit takes visitors to the ‘navel’ of ancient Jerusalem (ToI)
Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter under threat: Urgent call for protection (JP)
Burj al-Luqluq Social Center Society: A Hidden Gem within the Old City (Jerusalem Story)
More on the Iron Age II moat on the Southeastern Hill
A new portion of the vast Early Roman Period quarry north of Jerusalem was uncovered on Har Hotzvim
Lamps, a glass vessel, and archaeobotanical remains found in a 1st century CE drainage channel, perhaps remains of Jerusalemites hiding from the Romans in 70 CE
A seal with a winged figure and the inscription “LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu” was found in the Davidson Archaeological Park
Recent Approaching Jerusalem articles
Did Hezekiah Tear Down Houses to Fortify Jerusalem's Wall?
A popular interpretation connects preparations for war in Isaiah 22:10 with a fortification wall uncovered in the Jewish Quarter. Is it legitimate?
This post highlights the Hinnom Valley in the 19th century, an original guide to Avi-Yonah's Jerusalem model, a correction to a previous post, and upcoming events on historical Jerusalem.
New Digital Resources related to Jerusalem
Podcasts
This Week in the Ancient Near East
OnScript Biblical World
New Books Network
The Ancients
Videos
Albright Live
Bible & Archaeology
Israel Antiquities Authority
A virtual tour of the Siloam Road with Joe Uziel (Hebrew with English subtitles)
Armstrong Institute
3D Models
Absalom’s Tomb
Zechariah’s Tomb
Jason’s Tomb
Columns in the Holy Sepulcher
Varia
A new Facebook group highlights the epigraphy of Jerusalem’s stone streets.
The Israel Antiquities Authority has a new website.
New Developments in Jerusalem
Several new items are on display at the Terra Sancta Museum, including marble pieces from the tombs of the Crusader kings in the Holy Sepulcher and material from a recent excavation at the foot of the Church of All Nations.
A video highlights updates in the Terra Sancta Museum.
New interesting finds at the Temple Mount Sifting Project include a coin of Antonius Pius and nails used in Roman footwear.
An update on the excavations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher highlights recent finds, including (among other things): the position of the medieval Stone of the Unction, the southern wall of Hadrian’s building, the southern part of the 4th-century church’s apse, and medieval opus sectile flooring in the northern apse of the Rotunda.
Donald Binder shares an update on a new set of stone steps and other infrastructure supporting El Ad’s ever-expanding presence in the Hinnom Valley. This particular path cutting across the southern slope of Mount Zion NE-SW has probably existed for a long time. It is shown in a sketch by William Bartlett from 1844.
In a recent article, Stephen Compton proposed an identification for the location of Sennacherib’s siege camps at Lachish and Jerusalem. See a popular writeup here and response by Chris McKinny here.
Upcoming Events about Jerusalem
In Jerusalem
The Yad Ben Zvi Institute is offering a number of tours relating to aspects of Jerusalem in Hebrew.
September 4, 19:00 JT - The annual City of David conference with six lectures on the archaeology of Jerusalem. Tours are offered prior to the beginning of the conference. The event is hosted at the City of David National Park. More information and registration here.
Online
September 4, 7:00 PM ET - Jodi Magness will be offering the lecture “What Makes Jerusalem Special?” The free virtual event is sponsored by the Friends of ASOR. Read more and register here.
September 17, 8:00-9:30pm ET - Approaching Jerusalem livestream for paid subscribers.
During these events, I discuss excavations, publications, pop media articles, and developments relevant to historical Jerusalem. I also share resources and occasionally present original research. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. Paid subscribers get access these quarterly events and the archive of previous recordings.
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