This month news stories from the world of biblical archaeology came from Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. Here were the top three new reports in Oct. 2023.

3. New Kingdom Cemetery Discovered in Egypt

The secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities recently announced the discovery of a cemetery dating to the New Kingdom period at Al-Ghoreifa in Tuna Al-Gabal. Numerous rock-hewn tombs were found, containing anthropoid limestone sarcophagi and decorated wooden coffins. In addition, canopic jars, amulets, and a 13-to-15-foot papyrus copy of the Book of the Dead was also discovered. Some of the items belonged to an overseer of the Taurus of Amun Temple, named Djehuty, and to Nany, his singer, as well as to other important priests and ancient Egyptian officials. It appears the cemetery was reused in the Late Period (ca. 664 BC – 332 BC). This discovery will help scholars better understand Egyptian burial practices in the New Kingdom period (ca. 1552 – 1069 BC), which, according to a literal, biblical chronology is the period in which the Exodus took place.

NEWS LINK: https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/510284.aspx

2. Wall Built by Cyrus the Great Exposed Near Persepolis

Archaeologists working at Tall-e Ajori (Firuzabad), a site located 1.8 miles (3 km) north of Persepolis, have unearthed the wall of a monumental gateway. The discovery of the gateway itself was announced in 2021; it is believed that Cyrus the Great ordered the construction of the 130-foot (40 m) gate to provided access to a royal garden named “Paradise.” The newly exposed section of wall was built using glazed bricks and bitumen mortar. Persepolis was one of the capital cities of the Persian empire. Cyrus the Great is mentioned twenty times in the Bible and is most famous for his decree to allow the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem from exile and rebuild the Temple, as prophesied by Isaiah (44:28) and recorded in 2 Chronicles (ch. 36) and Ezra (ch. 1).

NEWS LINK: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202310123633

1. Giant Lamassu from Sargon II’s Capital of Dur-Sharrukin Rediscovered

The General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage in Iraq recently announced the re-discovery of a lamassu from the time of Sargon II at Khorsabad, the site of the ancient Dur-Sharrukin. Lamassu are Assyrian deities which is depicted with the head of a human, the body of a lion or bull, and the wings of a bird. The were commonly found in pairs on either side of entrances to palaces or courtyards. This lamassu, located at the sixth gate of Dur-Sharrukin, was first noted by the French archaeologist Victor Place in the 19^th century, and excavated in 1992. Shortly afterward the head of the lamassu was stolen but then recovered by police and taken to the Iraqi museum. To protect the body, it was reburied, which likely saved it from ISIS in 2015, when the group systematically destroyed archaeological artifacts throughout the region. The lamassu is estimated to weigh 18 tons, and is carved from one piece of limestone. When Sargon II became king, he set about to construct Dur-Sharrukin as his new capital. Upon his death, Sennacherib took the throne and moved the capital to Nineveh, leaving Dur-Sharrukin incomplete. Sargon II is mentioned only once in the Bible: in Isaiah 20:1, he is named as the king of Assyria who sent his commander to attack and capture Ashdod.

NEWS LINK: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/10/archaeologists-excavate-a-lamassu-at-ancient-khursbad/

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