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Archeology

Masada. Photo: Omer Zaevi, excavation expedition from Masada

Contrary to myth: the Roman siege of Masada did not last several years but only a few weeks

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The researchers: "According to the common myth, the Romans harassed the rebels in Masada for three years. An innovative survey using advanced technologies revealed that the siege by the Roman army was a focused and relatively quick operation."
Dr. Elena Kogan-Zahavi from the Antiquities Authority, who uncovered one of the graves about 30 years ago, in the graves after their preservation

Spectacularly beautiful wall paintings from the Roman period that were discovered in Ashkelon are being revealed for the first time and will be accessible to the public

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The paintings, which decorate ancient tombs of wealthy people, were discovered decades ago but few got to see them. Now, they are preserved by the conservation experts of the Antiquities Authority near the marina, funded by the municipality of Ashkelon.
Description: Drone image of cluster 27 in northeastern Mongolia. A red circle marks the location of the excavated burial. The additional map shows the location of cluster 27 in red and two additional compound sites along the long wall (clusters 23 and 24) in black. Credit: Dan Golan.

An elite tomb from the pre-Mongolian period was discovered in Mongolia

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This discovery provides vital insights into the local communities, their networks and organization during the 12th century AD - a period characterized by post-imperial instability and intense political competition
Principal - one of the panels with ancient rock paintings in Colombia. Photo: University of Exeter

12,500 Years: Ancient Art in the Amazon Reveals Secrets of Prehistoric Ecology

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The drainage canal from the days of the Second Temple. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

Jerusalem - from prosperity to destruction.

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New findings from the ancient drainage canal that operated in Jerusalem 2000 years ago tell the story of the city in the days of the Second Temple - from prosperity to destruction
The engravings in Gobkali Tepa are considered to be the oldest calendar in the world. Credit: Dr. Martin Sweatman

A 12,000-year-old lunar-solar calendar - the oldest in the world, was discovered on a column at an archaeological site in Turkey

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Research at the 12,000-year-old site of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey suggests that the engravings on ancient pillars probably represent the world's oldest solar calendar, possibly created to commemorate a comet strike
A stone vessel identified with the Jewish population in Beit Shani, which was recently discovered in the excavation of a nearby quarry. Will be on display this summer at the National Archeology Museum of an island in Jerusalem

A huge quarry - one of the largest known in Jerusalem from the end of the Second Temple period, was discovered on Mount Hotzavim in Jerusalem

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A reconstruction of what might have looked like the structure of a hunter-gatherer community Credit York University Center Year

Household management 11,000 years ago: New study reveals hunter-gatherer homes were surprisingly organized

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Archaeological findings at the famous Mesolithic site 'Star Ker' in North Yorkshire suggest that hunter-gatherers maintained an orderly living space by allocating specific areas for different domestic activities
The "Moai" statues on Easter Island. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Exposing the Myth of "Environmental Self-Destruction": The True Story of Easter Island

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Recent studies disprove the long-held belief of ecological collapse on Easter Island, and show that the population has remained stable through effective resource management over a long period of time.
A study of medieval warrior monks at the castle of Zorita de los Canes has revealed their lavish diet and violent death, including the unexpected discovery of a female warrior among them, expanding our understanding of gender roles in historical military orders. A skull found at the archaeological site of Zorita de los Canes. Credit: Crema Risk, URV

Were women also knights? Archaeologists have made an unexpected discovery in the burials of warrior monks from the Middle Ages

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Of the 25 skeletons studied, 23 showed signs consistent with a violent death. By studying the proportions of the bones, she realized that among the warriors was a woman.
Archaeologist Shahar Crispin holds the hoard of coins after finding it. Photo by Yuli Schwartz

In Lod, evidence of the last revolt of the Jews of the Land of Israel under the Roman rule, about 1650 years ago, was uncovered

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In the excavation of the site, conducted by the Antiquities Authority with funding from the municipality of Lod, the remains of an ancient Jewish public building that was destroyed were discovered. A cache of 94 coins was hidden on the floor of the building, but no one returned to its collection until it was discovered now
The Nile and the pyramids of Aswan in the background. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The increase in water flow and the flood area of ​​the Nile was the catalyst for the flourishing of ancient Egyptian culture

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Recent research reveals that a significant change in the course of the Nile River about 4,000 years ago expanded the floodplain near Luxor, which could have caused the prosperity of agriculture in ancient Egypt and influenced the location of sites
The skulls were examined using microscopic analysis and CT scanning. Credit: Tondini, Isidro, Camaros, 2024.

A 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull reveals surgical attempts to treat cancer

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Scientists were amazed by the discovery of cut marks around cancerous tumors on an ancient Egyptian skull, which allowed them to better understand how the ancient Egyptians tried to treat the disease
A ship model discovered in the excavation of Rahat. Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

Ships in the heart of the desert: the remains of an ancient church, on the walls of which ships were carved about 1500 years ago, were discovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority in the north of the Negev

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The excavations were conducted as part of the expansion of a neighborhood in the city of Rahat, at the initiative of the Authority for the Development and Regulation of Bedouin Settlements in the Negev.
The water course of the ancient Akramat branch is bordered by a large number of pyramids from the Old Kingdom period to the Second Intermediate Period, which extends between the Third Dynasty and the Thirteenth Dynasty. Credit: Eman Ghoneim

Archaeology: The Egyptian pyramids were built along the forgotten branch of the Nile - Akramat

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These findings can explain why the pyramids are concentrated in what is now a narrow and hostile strip of desert
Excavation site in the City of David showing signs of the earthquake that occurred in 750 BC (photo: Yohana Regev)

Carbon Jerusalem: extensive and accurate dating of the city during the Kingdom of Judah

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists overcame a cosmic phenomenon that makes it difficult for archaeologists around the world and presented for the first time an absolute dating of Jerusalem in the Iron Age
Using artificial intelligence to decipher ancient texts. The image was prepared by DALEE and is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered a scientific image

Artificial intelligence will restore ancient Jewish texts

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Fourth-year students in the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev decided to produce an up-to-date answer to the ancient writings and under the guidance of Prof. Mark Lest, developed an artificial intelligence system that completes the missing sections in the texts
A herd of elephants illustration: depositphotos.com

The mystery of the prehistoric quarrying sites has been solved: the connection between man, the elephant and the source of water

Why did the ancient man return again and again, over hundreds of thousands of years, to the same quarry sites? It turns out that the secret lies in the migration routes of the elephants
The box as shown in the archeology section of the Israel Museum. Photo: Zohar Shemesh, Israel Museum, Jerusalem

An enigmatic and rare stone box from the Second Temple period, which was discovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority in the City of David, is on display to the public for the first time at the Israel Museum

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Canaanite finds from Megiddo Hill (courtesy of Megiddo Archaeological Expedition)

Researchers have analyzed the genetics of the Canaanites and its relationship to modern populations such as Jews, Palestinians and Bedouins

The DNA analysis showed that the Canaanites were created from the mixing of populations that migrated to the southern Levant mainly from the Caucasus region (or western Iran) with ancient local populations that stayed there, a process that lasted at least 1,000 years
the scarab Photo by Anastasia Shapiro, Israel Antiquities Authority

A hiker discovered an ancient and rare Assyrian seal amulet in the Nahal Tabor Nature Reserve in the Lower Galilee

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The amulet may testify to the presence of an Assyrian (or perhaps Babylonian) official in the place almost 2,800 years ago * The rare find was transferred to the state treasures and the traveler received a certificate of appreciation from the Antiquities Authority
A proposal for the reconstruction of the Hekhara. Illustration_ Shalom Kevler, from the book _Ir al Tila_ in English - The City of David_ The Story of Ancient Jerusalem

The earliest roof tiles in Israel were uncovered in the City of David - and the one who brought them to Israel was Antiochus IV

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Archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the City of David in the National Park around the walls of Jerusalem have discovered the earliest ceramic roof tiles in the Land of Israel * To date very little evidence has been discovered
This image, taken by NASA's Perseverance rover on Aug. 6, 2021, shows the hole drilled into Martian rock in preparation for the rover's first attempt to collect a sample. It was captured by one of the rover's cameras in what the rover's science team called "cobblestone" in the area. The crater floor is broken and rough" in Jezero Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Did life exist on Mars and other planets? We may soon know through artificial intelligence

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The rare sight. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

Has a tomb of an "escort woman" (the Taira) from 2,300 years ago been discovered in Jerusalem?

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A grave where the remains of a woman were discovered with a rare mirror next to her opens an extraordinary window into customs that were 'imported' to Israel with the Hellenistic occupation * It seems that the person buried was a young woman of Greek origin, who accompanied an army officer or
One of the Akhat plot tablets in Ugrit. From Wikipedia

The stories of the Bible: the prose that was a song

Biblical prose may have begun as narrative poems, similar to those prevalent in the ancient Near East.
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