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Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
The So-called Bust of Josephus
I recently had occasion to spend some time revisiting the works of the Jewish historian Josephus, which was a real pleasure. When working on Josephus, I occasionally come across the “bust of Josephus” that so often serves as an illustration … Continue reading
Posted in Josephus, Judaism, Sculpture
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More on the mikveh at Ostia and Other Jewish Materials
In March I noted the announcement that a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, had reportedly been found in Ostia, the port city of ancient Rome. I had missed an article from the Times of Israel that adds some details to … Continue reading
Working with Manuscripts
It’s a nice moment when you receive the first copies of a book you’ve written. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of opening the box of authors’ copies of Working with Manuscripts, written together with my colleague Liv Ingeborg Lied. This … Continue reading
Posted in Working with Manuscripts
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A Newly Discovered mikveh at Ostia
At a press conference this afternoon in the archaeological park at Ostia Antica, it was announced that a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, has been discovered in the center of the ancient city. Ostia is well known to students of … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Ostia, Synagogues
Tagged ancient Judaism, Diaspora Judaism, Judaism, mikvah, mikveh, news, Ostia, Ostia synagogue, religion, Roman religion, synagogue
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The So-called Scriptorium at Bu Njem
It is common for historians of ancient Rome to state that writers did not use desks (As Theodor Birt put it, “In antiquity, people did not write on desks”). I have noted before on the blog that I am not … Continue reading
Posted in desks, Ostraca, Scriptoria
Tagged Bu Njem, desks, manuscripts, qumran, Roman Libya, Scriptoria, Scriptorium
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A Mosaic from Thabraca with a Writer at a Desk
In earlier posts, I discussed two pieces of evidence for writing at desks in the late antique period, a relief from Ostia and a relief found at Portus. Another piece of evidence that Metzger mentioned in his well known chapter … Continue reading
The Lying Pen of Scribes Project: An Appreciation
Over the last few years, I have had a number of occasions to mention The Lying Pen of Scribes, a project on the Dead Sea Scrolls funded by the Research Council of Norway. In fact, it may not be quite … Continue reading
Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries
Tagged archaeology, Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, history, qumran
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P52 on the Joe Rogan Experience: Fact Check
I’m not a regular consumer of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” but I was compelled to check it out when I heard that the podcaster was chatting about P.Ryl.Gr. 3.457, a.k.a. P52, the small fragment of a papyrus leaf containing a … Continue reading
Posted in P.Ryl. 3.457, Palaeography
Tagged Bible, christianity, egypt, Jesus, Joe Rogan, New Testament, New Testament manuscripts, P52, Rylands Papyri
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A Fake Lead “Codex” in Rome?
Among codices that supposedly date to the Roman and late antique eras, there is a small set of “books” made of lead. Some of these made their first appearance in the last couple decades (the so-called Jordanian lead codices) and … Continue reading
Posted in Bernard de Montfaucon, Fakes and Forgeries, Lead codices
Tagged Abraxas, Bernard de Montfaucon, fakes, forgeries, forgery, gnosticism, Lead codices, Magic
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Variant Readings 