Current Events Articles: December 2018

Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities has announced the discovery of a sealed, unlooted, 4400-year-old tomb belonging to an ancient high priest. The tomb dates to the Fifth Dynasty and belonged to an Egyptian Priest of Royal Purification named Wahtye, who also held the title of "Divine Inspector." Archaeologists discovered 55 statues inside, along with well-preserved paintings on the walls depicting the tomb's owner with various members of his family. The statues are arranged on two levels within the tomb – 24 on the upper level of the tomb and 24 on the lower level – and depict humans and deities. According to the hieroglyphs that accompany the statues and paintings, Wahtye's mother was named Merit Meen (meaning a lover of the fertility god Min), and his wife was named Nin Winit Ptuh (meaning the greatest of the Egyptian creator god Ptah). Archaeologists also found five hidden shafts in which they hope to find Wahtye's sarcophagus.

Off-site Links:
- https://www.livescience.com/64317-saqqara-tomb-hidden-shafts-discovered.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46580264
- https://www.facebook.com/moantiquities/posts/2071110519601254

Excavations in the necropolis of ancient Antioch, located in the Hatay province of Turkey, have unearthed 19 tombs dating to the Roman period. The project, which has been running since 2007 under the direction of the Hatay Archaeology Museum, has cleaned and examined the tombs. Numerous epitaphs have been deciphered, including ones that read, "lived and died shamelessly," and "keep the spirit." Antioch of Syria was the location of the Apostle Paul's "home" church, and is the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26)

Off-site Links:
- https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/11/27/19-roman-tombs-unearthed-in-southern-turkeys-antakya
- https://ahvalnews.com/turkish-tourism/roman-tombs-unearthed-turkeys-antakya-province

A copper ring unearthed during the 1968-69 excavations at the Herodium was recently cleaned, photographed and analyzed, revealing the name of Pilate. This discovery was announced in the latest issue of Israel Exploration Journal under the title, "An Inscribed Copper-Alloy Finger Ring from Herodium Depicting a Krater." The artifact itself is a simple stamping ring with the image of a Krater (a wine vessel) surrounded by Greek letters which translate to, "of Pilatus." It was found in a room at the Herodium with an archaeological layer dating no later than 71 AD. Given the rarity of the name Pilate in the first century, many are naturally asking whether this ring belonged to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Prefect of Judea who sentenced Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified. The authors of the article write, "Simple all-metal rings like the Herodium ring were primarily the property of soldiers, Herodian and Roman officials, and middle-income folk of all trades and occupations. It is therefore unlikely that Pontius Pilatus, the powerful and rich prefect of Judaea, would have worn a thin, all copper-alloy sealing ring." They do allow that it may have belonged to someone under Pilate's command, a member of his family or one of his freed slaves. Another scholar has suggested that Pilate may have had a gold ring for official duties and a simple copper ring for his private, everyday affairs. This is only the second archaeological artifact discovered in Israel that bears the name of Pilate. The other is the famous "Pilate Stone," which was discovered in Caesarea Maritima in 1961 and refers to "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea."

Off-site Links:

- https://www.timesofisrael.com/2000-year-old-ring-engraved-with-pilate-may-have-belonged-to-notorious-ruler/
- https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-ring-of-roman-governor-pontius-pilate-who-executed-jesus-found-in-herodion-site-1.6699353