Category Archives: Archaeological context

The Helgö Buddha

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

The news of the excavation of a small statue of the Buddha in Egypt is very exciting. But at least one of the claims about this statue doesn’t seem quite right. I have in mind this statement in The Smithsonian: … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeological context, Buddha | 2 Comments

New Article on the Dead Sea Scrolls said to come from Cave 1Q

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Brent Nongbri

I’m happy to report that the first 2022 issue of Harvard Theological Review contains my article on the Dead Sea Scrolls said to come from Cave 1 at Qumran: “How the ‘Jerusalem Scrolls’ Became the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Khalil Eskander Shahin (Kando) | 1 Comment

The Faddan More Psalter

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Brent Nongbri

One of the most interesting manuscripts to come to light in recent years is the Faddan More Psalter, a parchment codex in a leather cover that contained the Psalms in Latin. It was discovered by a worker harvesting peat for … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeological context, Book binding, Book covers, Codices, Codicology, Faddan More Psalter | 13 Comments

The Dead Sea Scrolls of New Jersey

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Brent Nongbri

It is well known that a few of the best preserved Dead Sea Scrolls spent some time in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s.  The Syrian Archbishop Mar Athanasius Yeshue Samuel brought four scrolls to the US in … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls | 4 Comments

Dead Sea Scrolls at the Vatican

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Brent Nongbri

A visit to the Vatican Museums almost always yields something new. You can never know which rooms will be open, so occasionally there is the pleasant surprise of getting to see material that is usually hidden away. There are also … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls | 8 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 5: The Strange Case of 1Q5 Fragment 13

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

1Q5 is a collection of dozens of fragments reassembled into 20 or so more substantial fragments representing one of two copies of the book of Deuteronomy associated with Cave 1 (1QDeutb). The fragments of 1Q5 were edited in DJD 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Khalil Eskander Shahin (Kando) | 3 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 3: Is Cave 1 Really Cave 1?

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

This is the third in a series of questions relating to the source of the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls to appear on the market in 1947. The first post dealt with the Genesis Apocryphon, and the second with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Find Stories | 23 Comments

Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 1: The Genesis Apocryphon Roll

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

One of the many events called off in the general shut down of activities last month was a meeting at the University of Agder associated with The Lying Pen of Scribes project, On the Origin of the Pieces: The Provenance … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Dead Sea Scrolls, Find Stories | 14 Comments

Article in The Ancient Near East Today

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Brent Nongbri

The April 2019 edition of The Ancient Near East Today is carrying a very nicely illustrated article about my book, God’s Library. You can check it out at their site.

Posted in Archaeological context | 1 Comment

The Papyrus of Aristotle’s Constitution of the Athenians: Provenance Questions

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Brent Nongbri

I recently wanted to quickly refresh myself on what can be known about the provenance of the famous papyrus containing nearly the entire text of Aristotle’s Constitution of the Athenians (British Library Pap. 131, LDAB 391). As usual, this turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, British Library Aristotle, E. A. Wallis Budge, Find Stories, Frederic Kenyon | 7 Comments