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Archeology

Photographs: Engineered gray soil in sand above fresh ground water. Photo. Dr. Itamar Taksel, Antiquities Authority, a lime kiln on top of an embankment. The products of the kiln were apparently used to improve the sand and turn it into fertile soil. Photo. Prof. Yoel Raskin. Photographs of the researchers: Prof. Yoel Raskin - Bar-Ilan University Spokesperson, Dr. Itamar Taksel (on the beach), photographed by Prof. Yoel Raskin.

Near Caesarea, evidence of the beginning of agriculture in the sands was discovered

The system from the tenth century AD, in the Islamic period is the first significant development of agriculture in the sand in human history
The jar from the kingdom of Sheba. Credit: Dr. Daniel Weinstaub

A Shebaite inscription on a pottery jar in Jerusalem from the First Temple period has been deciphered

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A Shebaite inscription was deciphered on a clay urn that contained incense and was discovered less than 300 meters from the site of the temple as part of the Ofel excavations in Jerusalem. The inscription on the urn indicates a connection between King Solomon's Israel and the kingdom of Sheba which was in the territory of today's Yemen
The pyramids at Giza in Egypt. Illustration: depositphotos.com

An unknown hidden chamber has been discovered in the Great Egyptian Pyramid of Giza

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Already in 2016, the measurements gave reason to assume the existence of a hidden space near the Chevron stones above the entrance. Now scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have used ultrasound endoscopy to make an important contribution to confirming this assumption.
Analysis of 10,000-year-old skeleton findings in the Judean Desert in the laboratory of Prof. Israel Hershkowitz, Tel Aviv University

Talking bones

Complete human skeletons may testify to the existence of different human groups in the Land of Israel 100,000 years ago and more
The copper hook is 6000 years old. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

In rescue excavations in Ashkelon, a 6,000-year-old copper fishing hook was discovered, one of the oldest known in the world

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The hook, which appears to have been used for hunting sharks, was discovered in the excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority before the establishment of the Agami neighborhood in Ashkelon * The unique find will be presented for the first time at the 48th Archaeological Congress, in the organization of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Exploration of Israel and its Antiquities, and the Israel Archaeological Society
Monks in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Genomic study of ancient human remains sheds light on human evolution at the Tibetan plateau

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Beginning 4,500 years ago, three very different Tibetan populations occupied the northeastern, south-central, and southern and southwestern regions of the plateau, but they carry a common gene that allows them to function in high, low-oxygen areas. This gene may have come from Denisovan man
Dervish address. Photo: Shai Halevi, Antiquities Authority

Fadiha on Purim around the alleged inscription bearing the name of the Persian king Darius I, the father of Ahasuerus

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The 2500-year-old pottery on which the inscription was engraved in Aramaic script was discovered by travelers by chance in Tel Lakish National Park * It seems that this is a "note" to confirm the delivery or receipt of goods * The rare ostracon was studied by Sa'ar Ganor from the Antiquities Authority and Dr. Hagai Meshgav from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , and their research will be published in the journal "Antiquities"
Science magazine cover, 2/3/2023. From the magazine website.

SCIENCE: The Near East is the origin of the oldest vine in the world

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An international study published in the journal Science, in which researchers from several institutions in Israel also participated, sheds light on the origin of the grapevine for food and wine, and proves that the grapevine was simultaneously domesticated in the Levant and secondarily in the South Caucasus * The research will also help agricultural crops deal with the current climate crisis
Flint vessels from periods that go back to the settlement of Homo erectus at the site of the Bnot Ya'akov Bridge over 600 thousand years ago. Courtesy of the researchers

The quality of the stone in the prehistoric period

Researchers have discovered that the ancient man who lived at the site of the Benat Ya'akov Bridge preferred to use certain types of flint and basalt rocks for chiseling his tools and made an effort to bring them to the site
The hand carved in the wall of the moat. Photo by Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

A huge 1,000-year-old moat and a mysterious handprint carved into the rock were uncovered in front of the walls of Jerusalem

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The new parts of the defense system on the walls of Old Jerusalem against Crusader attacks were discovered during archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority on Sultan Suleiman Street, prior to the laying of infrastructure at the initiative of the Jerusalem Municipality through the Moriah Jerusalem Development Company
Findings in Nahal Omer in the Arava indicating extensive international trade in the seventh and eighth centuries AD. Photo: excavation team

Has the Israeli Silk Road been discovered?

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Cotton fabrics and silk fabrics originating in India and China from about 1,300 years ago found in the Arabah testify to ancient trade from the Far East, through the Land of Israel and Europe
https://images.theconversation.com/files/501280/original/file-20221215-15-purmy2.jpg

2,700-year-old rock carvings from the time when Nineveh was the "capital of the world" were discovered

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A Canaanite comb with the oldest Canaanite inscription was discovered at Tel Lachish. Photo courtesy of the Hebrew University

The earliest sentence written in the alphabet was discovered at Tel Lachish

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Hebrew University researchers have uncovered a rare archaeological find from the Middle Canaanite period. This is the first complete sentence found and written in the alphabet.
Obsidian beads from Anatolia discovered at Tel Tsef in the Jordan Valley. Photo: Haifa University

Evidence of the use of cotton from 7,000 years ago was discovered at Tel Zef in the Jordan Valley

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The cotton fibers found at Tel Tsef predate the evidence found so far by several hundred years and they probably arrived at Tel Tsef from the Indus Valley region, present-day Pakistan, from a distance of thousands of kilometers
The front of the burial cave that was revealed in the excavations. Unlike the hewn caves, the courtyard was built of limestone, which indicates its importance and splendor. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

A 2,000-year-old tomb complex, one of the most luxurious seen in Israel, was uncovered in the Saloma Cave in the Lachish Forest

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The courtyard was uncovered as part of the 'Road of the Kings of Judah' project led by the Antiquities Authority, the Jerusalem Ministry and Heritage, and the Kimat Israel Fund * Evidence of the sanctification of the place over hundreds of years was uncovered at the site, indicating the burial of a significant figure who belonged to an affluent family in the Second Temple
The coin cache. Photo: Shai Halevi, Antiquities Authority

For the first time: evidence of the Maccabean rebellion against the Greeks was uncovered in the Judean desert

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In an excavation in a cave in the Nahal Darga Reserve, a rare treasure was discovered - a wooden box containing 15 silver coins from the time of King Antiochus IV *It seems that the person who buried the box in the cave fled to it, hoping to collect his property at the end of the rebellion
Erfurt, Germany, a place where the first Ashkenazim lived. Illustration: depositphotos.com

In-depth genetic research at a Jewish burial site in Germany sheds light on the Ashkenazi communities from the 14th century

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The study, published this week in the prestigious journal CELL, analyzed DNA from 33 members of the Jewish community who were buried in the 14th century in the city of Erfurt in Germany. Prof. Shai Karmi from the Hebrew University, the leader of the study, found that there was a genetic sequence between the Ashkenazi Jews from the Middle Ages to the present day
Two of the most distant galaxies ever seen have been revealed in Webb Space Telescope images of the outer regions of the giant galaxy cluster Abell 2744. The galaxies are not inside the cluster, but many billions of light-years behind it. The galaxy shown in the top image in the center was extracted from the image on the left. It existed only 450 million years after the big bang. The galaxy shown in the lower center image is drawn from the image on the right. It existed 350 million years after the big bang. Both galaxies appear to be very close in time to the Big Bang that occurred 13.8 billion years ago. These galaxies are tiny compared to our Milky Way. Webb Space Telescope photo, ESA/NASA

Webb discovered the oldest galaxies, their age and properties surprised astronomers

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One of these galaxies is observed as it appeared about 300 million years after the Big Bang and shines much brighter than expected. This figure now makes researchers estimate that the first galaxies were formed 100 million years after the Big Bang. "It's like an archaeological dig, when you suddenly find a lost city or something you didn't know about," said one of the researchers
Illustration - Exploitation of a large-headed midge. Credit - Tel Aviv University

The earliest evidence of giant fish being cooked by early man has been uncovered, about 780,000 years ago

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This is the earliest evidence of self-initiated cooking with fire. A global breakthrough by the Hebrew Universities, Bar Ilan and Tel Aviv in collaboration with Oranim College and the Sea and Lake Research Institute
A burnt mud brick from Tel Batsh (Biblical Timna) with markings for measuring the magnetic orientation.

The magnetic field in the remains of fires makes it possible to discover the real story behind the descriptions in the Bible

A multidisciplinary study was able to date 21 layers of destruction at 17 archaeological sites in the State of Israel, with the help of measuring the direction and strength of the Earth's magnetic field, as they were "recorded" at the time the sites were burned, and to examine how much the biblical stories about the Egyptian, Aramaic, and Assyrian conquest campaigns And the Babylonians against the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were accurate
Prof. Erez Ben Yosef. Photo: Tel Aviv University

Podcast: Crimson fabric that reveals the fashion during the time of Kings David and Solomon

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Prof. Erez Ben Yosef from the Department of Archeology at Tel Aviv University in a fascinating description of the elite's fashion in the tenth century BC, during the reigns of David and Solomon * from Tel Aviv University's Tel Aviv 360 podcast series
Prof. Israel Finkelstein. Photo: Tel Aviv University spokesperson

From Shiloh to Ashdod to Kiryat Yaarim and finally to Jerusalem: the archeology and the story of the wanderings of the Ark of the Covenant - podcast

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Prof. Israel Finkelstein from the Department of Archeology at Tel Aviv University takes us into the wonderful journey following the story of the wanderings of the Ark of the Covenant in 360 Samuel and XNUMX Samuel. How the Ark of the Covenant was moved from Shiloh to the Philistine captivity in Ashdod and from there to Kiryat Yaarim in Israel and finally to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. Who were the writers who wrote the story, when did they write and what was their purpose? From the Tel Aviv XNUMX podcast series of Tel Aviv University

"Practice in history is essential to understanding the reality of our lives"

Flint vessels found in excavations at the Evron quarry. Photo: Zana Stepka

Rare evidence of the use of fire more than 800 years ago was uncovered at an archaeological site in the Galilee

The findings obtained through an innovative method based on artificial intelligence are some of the earliest evidence of the use of fire in Israel and in the world
Nana Oforiatta Ayim Nana Oforiatta Ayim Photo by Nana Oforiatta Ayim

The Dan David Prize for 2022 will be awarded to 9 researchers in the fields of history and archaeology

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Each of them will receive an award of $300,000 for achievements in researching the past and as support for their future work * An additional $300 was allocated to a new international post-doc program for history subjects at Tel Aviv University * The ceremony - at Tel Aviv University in May
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