Weekend Roundup, Part 1

“A team led by Israeli researcher Yoav Vaknin has developed a method to distinguish genuine clay artifacts from modern fakes by reading faint magnetic signals locked into the objects when they were fired thousands of years ago.” A new study by UCLA professor Catherine Bonesho concludes that a copper ring once identified as Pontius Pilate’s—and then not—likely belonged to a slave involved in administrative work in Judea. Aren Maeir visited the new excavations at Tel Qana, on the northern bank of the Yarkon River, and the Jerusalem Post published a video. The latest Jerusalem Tracker lists “every new academic publication” that Chandler Collins “can find that is relevant for the study of historical Jerusalem,” including new books, excavation reports, articles, and book chapters. Elon Gilad writes about another Jewish revolt, one between the Great Revolt and the Bar Kokhba Revolt, about which little is known. Shmuel Browns, a tour guide in Israel, has begun a Substack that features his areas of interest: History & Archaeology, Hiking & Nature, Photography, and a Field Report. Libby Backfish and Cynthia Shafer-Elliott are on the Biblical World podcast to discuss their recent boo...