12/15: Jesus: Written on Stone - Scott Stripling (Another Must Read from American Vision) "The discovery of this seven word Aramaic inscription (without the punctuation marks), firmly dated to the mid-first century A.D., is a watershed moment in the study of the backgrounds of early Christianity. What the Dead Sea Scrolls were to the study of Second Temple Judaism, this inscription is for the study of the primitive Christian church. Hershel Shanks, the editor of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) whose bimonthly periodical announced this dramatic story on October 21, 2002, stated that, "The James ossuary (bone box) may be the most important find in the history of New Testament archaeology. Ossuary burial, known as ossilegium, was only practiced in Jerusalem about 89 years (from 20 B.C. to 70 A.D.), less when we consider that it was probably abandoned at the outset of the First Jewish Revolt in 66, rather than at its conclusion in 70."

11/20/5: Ivory Emperor Emerges From Roman Forum - "Emperor Vespasian (69-79 AD) built the temple in 72 AD to house the spoils from the suppression of the First Jewish Revolt by his son Titus - later emperor 79-81 AD - along with Greek masterpieces collected by Nero (54-68 AD) .  The ivory-statue coup comes shortly after another jackpot find - a huge marble head of Emperor Constantine (305-337 AD) discovered in July at Trajan's Forum . The 60cm-high head, which was found in good condition, showed Constantine in stylised glory, at the time of his triumphant entry into Rome after beating rival Emperor Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 AD)."