Jerusalem Tracker: News, Publications, and Media about the Holy City (No. 9)
Helpful lists of new material about Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Tracker is a quarterly publication that aims to list all new resources about historical Jerusalem. I currently follow over 250 periodicals, 80 book publishers, and a number of social media and popular outlets in search of relevant material. See the entire archive of lists here. I hope these resources are helpful for your study and appreciation of Jerusalem.
The following criteria apply to the publications below:
They must deal with an aspect of historical Jerusalem.
Archaeological publications about Jerusalem’s hinterland or other topics are included only when there is a direct connection to the historical basin.
Forthcoming publications are not included.
Open access works are noted.
Most publications were issued after August 2024.
If you sense that any relevant resources are missing below, feel free to leave a comment or send an email to approachingjerusalem@gmail.com.
New Academic Articles about Jerusalem
Book reviews
Review of The “Exodus” in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31): A Lukan Form of Israel’s Restoration Hope by W. Gil Shin in Review of Biblical Literature by Jeremy D. Otten
Review of The Making of Syriac Jerusalem: Representations of the Holy City in Syriac Literature of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages by Catalin-Stefan Popa in Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum by Betz
Review of In the Shadow of the Wall by Vincent Lemire in Jerusalem Quarterly by Sharkawi (open access)
Review of Excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem (1995-2010), Areas A, J, F, H, D and L, Final Report by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron (Hebrew) in Qadmaniot by Geva
Review of Writing the Holy Land: The Franciscans of Mount Zion and the Construction of a Cultural Memory, 1300–1550 by Michele Campopiano in Speculum by Armstrong
Review of Reimagining Jerusalem’s Architectural Identities in the Later Middle Ages by Cathleen A. Fleck in Speculum by Muehlbauer
History of Jerusalem
“The Special Case of Jerusalem--A Discussion” (book chapter) in Fertile Crossroads. Elites and Exchange in the Southern Levant's Early Iron Age by
Malena
“Those who live in these ruins in the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 33:24): Some Thoughts on Living in the Shadow of Ruins Persian-period Judah” in Yahwism under the Achaemenid Empire. Professor Shaul Shaked in Memoriam, Gad Barnea and Reinhard G. Kratz (eds) by Lipschits (open access)
“Das Amt des Jerusalemer Hohepriesters im Licht biblischer und außerbiblischer Quellen der hellenistischen Zeit” in Vetus Testamentum by Schulz
“Jerusalem, Judean Uprising, Temple Destruction” in Behind the Scenes of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts, Longenecker, Shively, and Lang (eds) by Mason
“From Antioch to Jerusalem: What Accelerated the Plan of Emperor Julius “The Apostate” to Reestablish the Sanctuary of the Jews in Jerusalem?” (Hebrew) in A Vision of the Days: Studies in Early Jewish History and Historiography. Essays In Honor of Daniel R. Schwartz, Brody, Hacham, van Henten, and Piotrkowski (eds) by Ir-shai
“Therapeutic crusading and excessive violence in The Siege of Jerusalem and Richard Coeur de Lion” (book chapter) in English Literature and the Crusades: Anxieties of Holy War, 1291–1453 by Elias
“Attempting to Mould the City in Storrs’ Image: The Pro-Jerusalem Society” (book chapter) in Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917–1926 by Burnham
“‘Deserving of the Closest Attention’: Ronald Storrs and the Communities of Jerusalem in the First Two Years of British Military Rule” in Jerusalem Quarterly by Burnham (open access)
“Sainte-Anne de Jérusalem : un séminaire grec melkite catholique au service de l’Unité?” in Proche-Orient Chrétien by Bouwen
Jerusalem in ancient and historical literature
“Jerusalem in the Bible: Theology, Poetry, Identity” in Florence and the Idea of Jerusalem, Timothy Verdon and Giovanni Serafini (eds) by Verdon
“The Shape and Shaping of Isaiah and Psalms as Books in the Zion Tradition” in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly by Abernathy
“Three ‘Synoptic Journeys’ to Jerusalem, 1384-1385” in Florence and the Idea of Jerusalem, Timothy Verdon and Giovanni Serafini (eds) by Verdon
Jerusalem and theology
“The New Jerusalem as Compelling Vision: Monasticism and the Liturgy of Hope” in Florence and the Idea of Jerusalem, Timothy Verdon and Giovanni Serafini (eds) by Verdon
Inscriptions from Jerusalem
“What Happened to All the Writing on the Temple Mount?” in A Vision of the Days: Studies in Early Jewish History and Historiography. Essays In Honor of Daniel R. Schwartz, Brody, Hacham, van Henten, and Piotrkowski (eds) by Jonathan Price
“The Aramaic Uzziah Inscription and the Syntax of an Ancient Forgery” in Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period by Giambrone
Archaeology of Jerusalem
Abstracts from the 2024 ASOR annual meeting are available here. They include three sessions dedicated to “Jerusalem and the Archaeology of a Sacred City.”
“The Date of the City Walls of Jerusalem during the Biblical Period” in Antiguo Oriente by Ussishkin
“Unveiling ancient Jerusalem’s pastoral dynamics (7th to 2nd centuries BCE) with multi-isotope analysis” in Scientific Reports by Spiciarich, Gadot, Shalev, Sapir-Hen, Scott, le Roux, Roberts & Stockhammer (open access)
“The Jerusalem Pilgrimage Road in the Second Temple Period: an Anthropological and Archaeological Perspective” in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences by Abadi, Szypula, and Marciak (open access)
“The Location of the Legio X Fretensis Fortress in Jerusalem after 70 AD. Back to the unsolved question – a new proposal” in Strategy and Structures along the Roman Frontier, van Enckevort, Driessen, Graafstal, Hazenberg, Ivleva, and van Driel-Murray (eds) by Ortner (open access)
“Mosaic Technology in the Armenian Chapel Birds Mosaic, Jerusalem: Characterizing the Polychrome Hidden Sinopia” in Heritage by Asscher, Ricci, Reato, Peters, Leviant, Neguer, Avrahami, and Artioli (open access)
“The Life of Jesus Written in Stone” in Biblical Archaeology Review by Ryan
New Archaeological Discoveries in the Excavations of Birket al-Hamra in Jerusalem in City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem by Szanton, Vukosavović, and Berko
Collected articles from the New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region conference held on October 31, edited by Orit Peleg-Barkat, Yehiel Zelinger, Yuval Gadot, and Yiftah Shalev. Thanks to the authors who have made their papers available on Academia [dot] edu.
“Archaeological and Conservation Activities in the Jerusalem District in 2023” by Shalev and Vaknin
“The Southern Wall of the Jerusalem Temple Mount and the Road System Leading to Its Gates” (Hebrew) by Baruch, Rom, Machline, Zilberstein and Reich
“The Upper Aqueduct to Jerusalem in Light of the Excavations at Givat
HaMaṭos (Khirbat Ṭabliya): New Observations” by Cohen and Sion
“Ridge-crossing Tunnels in the Aqueducts to Jerusalem: A Morphological, Technological, Geological, and Relative Chronological Proposal” by Yechezkel
“‘Going with the Flow,’ but Where? – The Destinations of Jerusalem’s Low-Level and High-Level Aqueducts” (Hebrew) by Gurevich
“Wine Culture in the Early Islamic Period: A View from Jerusalem” (Hebrew) by Szanto and Monnickendam-Givon
“The Urban Development of Jerusalem during the Mamluk–Early Ottoman Periods: The Northern Neighborhoods” (Hebrew) by Chernin, ‘Adawi and Kagan
“Mind the Gap: An Archaeological View of Land Tenure and Usufruct Rights Around Jerusalem in the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods” by Ze’evi-Berger, Ben-Melech, Walker, Porat and Gadot
“Kerosene Nights: Light and Enlightenment in Late Ottoman Jerusalem” (Hebrew) by Wishnitzer
“Similarities and Differences between the Crusader Strongholds (Twelfth–Thirteenth Centuries) and the British Tegart Fortresses (Twentieth Century) on the Roads from the Shephelah to Jerusalem” by Dital, Tal, and Lewis
“‘The Stone the Builders Rejected’ (Psalm 118:22): An Assemblage of
Architectural Decorative Elements from the Landfills of Mount Zion” (Hebrew) by Peleg-Barkat and Zelinger
“The Tenth Legion canaba on Mt. Zion, Jerusalem” by Zelinger and Sindel
“Late Roman Mount Zion—Like a Hut in the Cucumber Field? A Critical Assessment of the Historical and Archaeological Sources of Late Roman Mount Zion” by Zimni-Gitler and Vieweger
“Reconstructing the Byzantine Church of Hagia Sion and its Crusader Successor Sancta Maria: New Insights from Archaeological Excavations Conducted on Mount Zion in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries” by Gibson
“A Comparative Analysis of Iron Age IIB-C Finds from the Temple Mount Sifting Project and Other Jerusalem Sites” by Dvira, Barkay, and Richman
New salvage excavation reports in Hadashot Arkheologiyot (all open access)
“Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre” by Stasolla
“Jerusalem, Abu Tor” by Novoselsky
“Jerusalem, The Old City, Ha-Avatihim Street” by Yeger
“Jerusalem, Beit Hanina (A)” by Cohen
“Jerusalem, Beit Hanina (B)” by Cohen
“Jerusalem, Mordot Arnona Neighborhood” by Novoselsky
New Books about Jerusalem
Jerusalem Transformed: Politics, Culture, and Hidden Corners edited by Richard I. Cohen
Archäologie in Jerusalem: Die Ausgrabungen des Deutschen Evangelischen Instituts für Altertumswissenschaft des Heiligen Landes zwischen 2009 und 2023 edited by Dieter Vieweger
Jerusalem: Faces of a City by Lukas Landmann
Jérusalem, un coeur de paix by Olivier Catel
New Pop/Social Media and Blogs about Jerusalem
Exploring Jerusalem’s history of the Dragoman (CBRL/Rachel Mairs)
The Balilius Affair: What Was Jerusalem’s Main Synagogue? (National Library of Israel)
Craving Jerusalem kaek: how the famed bread offers a true taste of the ancient city (The National)
Spafford Children’s Center: A Place of Safety and Healing for Jerusalem Children for Almost a Century (Jerusalem Story)
An “Ecumenical” Friendship in Mandate Palestine, Ruptured by Politics (Jerusalem Story)
Jerusalem Hotel: A Journey into History, Heritage, and Arabic Poetry Just Steps from Damascus Gate (Jerusalem Story)
A Symbol of Palestinian Identity, Palestinian Heritage Museum Faces Difficulties Reopening (Jerusalem Story)
At a Little Shop in the Old City of Jerusalem, Textile Designs Have History to Tell (Jerusalem Story)
Why was the Dome of the Rock built in Jerusalem? (Alex Stein)
Biblical Archaeology Gets Subatomic Help (CT/Gordon Govier)
What Is the Jerusalem Cross? (National Catholic Register)
Quantitative Analysis of First Temple Period Pottery (Temple Mount Sifting Project)
The Collective Crucifixion at Golgotha: A Paradigm Shift in the Explanation of Jesus of Nazareth’s Death (and Life) (Bibleinterp/Fernando Bermejo-Rubio)
The Excavations of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (2015 and 2023) (Bibleinterp/Dieter Vieweger)
Jerusalem in its glory: Reconstructing the Sukkot pilgrimage to the Second Temple (JP)
'Jerusalem Through the Ages': What archaeology reveals about the history of Jerusalem - review (JP)
Many seal impressions dating to the time of King Hezekiah were found at the site of Modorot Arnona.
Imprint of a cat’s paw found on 1,200 year-old pottery from the Mount Zion Excavations.
HA | JP | LS | Smithsonian
New Digital Resources related to Jerusalem
Podcasts
The Book & the Spade
CBRL
Videos
Christian Media Center
Jerusalem Story
Israel Antiquities Authority
Yad Ben Zvi Institute
Videos from a conference on Jerusalem held from July 30-August 2 are available on their Youtube channel (mostly in Hebrew).
The conference schedule is available here.
Watch a recording of Hebrew lectures remembering Yehosua Ben-Arieh here. The video features a lecture by Doron Bar at 43:00, which focuses on Ben-Arieh’s study of the Old City after 1967. Even if you cannot understand Hebrew, the powerpoint slides show some interesting photographs of Jerusalem during that time.
New Developments in/about Jerusalem
Two elevators are being constructed to convey visitors to the Western Wall. Salvage excavations in this area previously revealed a mikveh and part of the Lower Aqueduct.
The renovated Wohl Museum has finally reopened.
The Armstrong Institute shares updates from the excavation in the eastern Ophel this season, including many videos and photos.
The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology has backfilled excavation areas in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion. The dig was adjacent to the city wall and gate first discovered by Bliss and Dickie at the end of the 19th century.
Popular media outlets report that Israel’s President Isaac Herzog gifted Joe Biden an ancient inscription with the name יוסף (Joseph) excavated from the Ophel. Michael Press investigates this claim.
Aren Maeir launched a new online course entitled Jerusalem: a Journey through Time.
In a previous Jerusalem Tracker, I highlighted Stephen Compton’s theory about Sennacherib’s siege camp in Jerusalem. The story continues to appear in popular media outlets.
Listen to a response by Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer.
New updates on the excavations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection) include:
These two videos highlighting excavation progress and cooperation between the church’s three major communities.
A press release summarizing details of excavations around the rotunda and the structure built by Emperor Hadrian.
Francesca Romana Stasolla’s recently published summary report in Hadashot Arkheologiyot that highlights areas excavated in 2022 on the north side of the church.
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem issued a statement on the Jerusalem Cross.
A recent two-day academic conference highlighted aspects of Willibald’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem 1300 years ago. This video shares highlights.
The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land recently celebrated the centenary of the Basilica of the Agony at Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, both of which were planned by the famous Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi and finished in 1924.
This video shows the Ottoman contract recording the sale of the land on the Mount of Olives in 1681 CE, including eight old olive trees which stand there today. A 2015 radiocarbon study dated three of them to the 12th century CE (Crusader Period).
Upcoming Events about Jerusalem
In Jerusalem
The Yad Ben Zvi Institute is offering a number of tours focused on Jerusalem in Hebrew, focusing on Hannukah, Christmas, Armenian and Syrian Christians, street art, bakeries, cafes, and more. Sign up here.
Online
December 10, 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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