Archeology in the Land of Israel

Examples of historical visual sources from the end of the Ottoman period and the beginning of the British Mandate period that were used during the research.

The development of the inhabited cities in Israel at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th - the data phase

Researchers analyzed historical visual sources, such as maps, paintings and aerial photographs of Jerusalem and Haifa, to examine their urban development
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
A woman-like figurine. Photograph of the Antiquities Authority.

Magicians in the mountains of Eilat

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Objects that appear to have been used by folk sorcerers were discovered along the ancient road that led from Egypt to Mecca about 400 years ago
Taking the swords out of the closet where they were hidden. Photo: Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

Researchers went to photograph an inscription in a cave near Ein Gedi and also found there a weapon cache from the time of the Bar Kochba rebellion

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In Selik, four swords and a bayonet head were found that are approximately 1900 years old, preserved in wooden and leather cases, in excellent condition * "This is chilling evidence of a moment in time," say the researchers from the Antiquities Authority and Ariel University * Article
Antiquities Authority excavations at the Byzantine church in Geth Shemanim. Photo: Shai Halevi, Antiquities Authority

Researches the roads to Jerusalem

Annette Landes Nagar is an archaeologist-digger and Bar Ilan President Fellow, whose research has yielded important discoveries in the Jerusalem area
The works in the ancient canal. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

A mystery in Jerusalem: What were the mysterious canal facilities from the days of Kings Jehoash and Amaziah that were uncovered in the City of David National Park used for?

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The canal facilities, the likes of which have not yet been discovered in Israel, were in use about 2,800 years ago - during the time of the First Temple; According to the researchers from the Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, "it is possible that the canals were used to soak some product. the location
Uncovering the ancient aqueduct. Photo: Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

The longest section of the upper aqueduct to Jerusalem was revealed in archaeological excavations at Givat HaMatus

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The length of the arm section is about 300 meters, and it was uncovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority before the expansion of the neighborhood, funded by the "Arim" company for urban development and in the framework of the establishment of schools on the site at the initiative of the Jerusalem Municipality * among other things,
The gate looking at. Photo by Emil Algam, Antiquities Authority.

In Kiryat Gat, the oldest gate in Israel was discovered

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In an excavation by the Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a Mekorot company water line in the Kiryat Gat area, an ancient gate was discovered, approximately 5,500 years old * This gate was part of the fortification system of one of the hills
Map of Judea and Philistia in the days of David. From the study

New research reveals: these were the borders of David's kingdom and Rehoboam's kingdom

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The research from the Hebrew University determines for the first time, through archaeological and historical means, the boundaries of the kingdom of King David and his grandson, King Rehoboam and resolves the long-standing debate about the very existence of the kingdoms and
Hathor figurine found on the beach. Photo by Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

A woman walking on Palmahim beach found an ancient figurine more than 3,000 years old, identified with the Egyptian goddess Hathor

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She handed it over to the State Treasury and received a certificate of appreciation from the Antiquities Authority for demonstrating good citizenship
Excavations 2023 at Tel Shekmona. Photo by Prof. Golan Shloy.

The Scarlet Factory in Shekmona shows the flourishing of the Kingdom of Israel in the middle of the 8th-9th century BCE

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Tel Shekmona was the largest crimson factory in the area during the Iron Age, under the control of the Kingdom of Israel and the one that apparently supplied the prestigious crimson color to the Temple in the neighboring Kingdom of Judah
Demonstration of using a replica of the whistle. Photo by Lauren Dewin-

For the first time: 12,000-year-old tiny flutes have been discovered that imitate the sounds of predators

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A new study published today (Fri) in the prestigious scientific magazine Nature Scientific Report suggests that tiny flutes made from the wing bones of waterfowl were used to produce sounds imitating the sounds of birds of prey
To the right of the compass. On the left is a pomegranate seed. Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

A compass belonging to one of the soldiers of the Jewish People was discovered at the top of the battle hill in the Judean plains

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The compass, as well as Bren type machine gun pods, were uncovered in an archaeological study by Dr. Rafi Lewis from Ashkelon Academic College and Haifa University and Il Marco from the Antiquities Authority * According to the researchers, the compass belonged to the commander of the department
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 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 uncovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority before the establishment of the Agamim neighborhood in Ashkelon * The unique find will be presented for the first time at the 48th Archaeological Congress, in the organization of the Antiquities Authority, the Society for Land Exploration
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 the Tel Lakish National Park * It seems that this is a "note" to confirm the delivery or receipt of goods * The rare ostracon was studied
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 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
A silver coin of Anatolian origin that testifies to continuous trade between the north and south of the Levant about 3,600 years ago. Photo: Antiquities Authority

The use of silver coins as a means of payment began in the southern Levant as early as 3,600 years ago

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This is the first evidence that there was a continuous and long-term trade of metals from the Levant region to Anatolia already in the 17th century BC, about 500 years before the Iron Age when the use of silver coins became
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 and Heritage Ministry, 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
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 ran away to it, hoping to collect the
The half shekel coin of the third year of the Great Revolt (Photo: Tal Rogovsky)

A rare half shekel silver coin from the days of the Great Revolt was discovered in the Ofel excavations in Jerusalem

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This is the third coin of this type to be discovered in excavations in Jerusalem and one of the few ever discovered in archaeological excavations.
Pechiots and pechiots from the ring base family that were placed on the dead body. Tel Aviv University tests found traces of opium in these vessels. Photo: Assaf Peretz, Antiquities Authority

The earliest evidence known in the world for the use of the hallucinogen opium from the Canaanite period

The remains of the opium were found in pottery excavated at Tel Yehud, in an excavation conducted by Ariola Yakoel on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. The pots that contained the opium date back to the 14th century BC, and they were found in the graves of Canaanites and were used as
The treasure of gold discovered in Banias. Photo: Dafna Gazit, Antiquities Authority

A cache of 44 gold coins that are about 1,400 years old was discovered in the excavation of the Antiquities Authority in the Nahal Hermon Nature Reserve

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The treasure is evidence of a dramatic moment in the country's history - the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Umayyad House. Archaeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Dr. Yoav Lerer: "Whoever buried the coins inside a wall must have had a miracle on his life
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 the Tel Aviv 360 podcast series of
Find from Mesad Nakrot: Edible oyster from the Red Sea (a), jaw of a deer (b), edible oyster from the Mediterranean Sea (c), string woven from date leaves (d). Photographer: Roy Shapir

Fish from the Red Sea, oysters from the Nile and bowls from Petra were part of the ancient perfume route trade

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"The findings reflect the beginnings of globalization processes in the ancient world and the special importance of the Middle East and the desert space in particular, at the crossroads of East and West," say the researchers
Dr. Ashbel Retzon. How did the people of Qumran during the Second Temple period decipher the state of the stars? Photo: Tel Aviv University Spokesperson

It's written in the stars

Dr. Ashbel Retzon combines digital tools for the study of the ancient world and is working on new digital editions of all the astronomical scrolls and the tablet scrolls from Qumran
The gold ring as found in the water in one of the two shipwrecks that were uncovered in Caesarea. Photo: Antiquities Authority

Two shipwrecks were uncovered in Caesarea

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A maritime archaeological survey by the Antiquities Authority in Caesarea revealed a treasure of two ancient shipwrecks, including hundreds of silver coins, gold and silver rings, rare decorated gems, an eagle statuette, bells, and ship parts.
A 2,700-year-old stone toilet (Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority)

The hygiene patterns of the wealthy of Jerusalem during the days of the First Temple

Intestinal worm eggs discovered in toilets from that period reveal that the upper class also suffered from infectious diseases due to poor hygiene conditions
Excavations in a synagogue from the time of the Second Temple in Migdal. Photo: Haifa University

A second synagogue from the days of the Second Temple was found in the excavations in the tower

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This is the first case that two synagogues from the Second Temple period are in the same settlement. "The discovery of a second synagogue in the Galilee settlement sheds light on the social and religious life of the Jews in the Galilee during this period
An urn that was uncovered in the excavations of the building from the days of the Sanhedrin. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

For the first time: the remains of a building from the days of the Sanhedrin were uncovered in Yavne

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*The discovery was made in the huge excavation of the Yavneh Antiquities Authority, funded by the Israel Lands Authority and in cooperation with the Yavneh Municipality on the occasion of the expansion of the city. Fragments of stone vessels made of Kirton were discovered in the building, indicating a Jewish presence
Works in the citadel - aerial view. Photo by Emil Eljam, Antiquities Authority

A fortified structure from the Hellenistic period, which the Hasmoneans destroyed and burned, was uncovered in excavations in the Lachish forest

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"The destruction of the building is probably related to the conquest of the area by the Hasmonean Yochanan Hyrcanus, around the year 112 BC," say archaeologists of the Antiquities Authority, who conducted the excavation with funding from the Landmarks Project of the Jerusalem Ministry
Tel Lachish and the remains of the battery. Photo courtesy of the Hebrew University

New research reveals how the Assyrian siege wall at Lakish was built (and the only one known in the world)

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The study proves the amazing power, size, strength and skills of the Assyrian army for that period, and the truth of biblical quotations concerning the words of the prophet Isaiah who lived at that time
Nir Distelfeld from the Antiquities Authority with the sword. Photo by Anastasia Shapiro Antiquities Authority

Snorkeled in the Carmel beach area and discovered a knight's sword, about 900 years old

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The director of the excavation in Yavne, Liat Nadav-Ziv. The highlight of the gitots are shell-shaped cells - an ornament that indicates the wealth of the owners of the factory

A huge and impressive wine factory was uncovered in Yavne, the largest known in the world from the Byzantine period

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Archaeologists: "About 2 million liters of wine were produced here every year." The huge 1500-year-old industrial area was revealed in archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority before the expansion of the city, initiated by the Israel Lands Authority
The gold coin that was uncovered in the excavation and has an engraving on it to indicate ownership. Photo by Amir Gorzalzani, Antiquities Authority

Evidence of agricultural and industrial activity was uncovered in Ramat Hasharon as early as 1500 years ago

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Ramat Hasharon will soon celebrate its 100th year, but it turns out that it is much older than we thought. Archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority, which are taking place in preparation for the establishment of a new neighborhood initiated by the Sharon Municipality, have revealed
Yerubael address, photo: Dafna Gazit, Antiquities Authority.

For the first time: a rare inscription from the days of the Judges was discovered, which refers to the Book of Judges

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Who are you Yerubael? The man is mentioned in a 3,100-year-old inscription discovered near Kiryat Gat, in the excavations of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Antiquities Authority and McQuarrie University in Sydney * According to the archaeologists, "Judge Gideon's nickname
A group of Neanderthals prepares to hunt. Photo: depositphotos.com

Out of Africa: In the wake of modern man and the Neanderthals he met

Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority returned to the archaeological site of Boker Attama in the Negev, and shed new light on a defining chapter in human evolution
Excerpts from the Teri Asherash scroll were uncovered in the Yehuda desert operation before they were preserved. Photo: Shai Halevi, Antiquities Authority

Fragments of new scrolls, the skeleton of a 6,000-year-old girl and the oldest complete basket in the world were discovered in David Yehuda

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This is the first time after about 60 years that Megillah fragments from the books of the Bible have been discovered in excavations. The fragments, rewritten in Greek, include remnants from the books of the Ten Prophets, among them Zechariah and Nahum * The remains of the Megillah and other rare finds,
David dressed in crimson at the time of his anointing to the kingship by Shmuel (mosaic of the synagogue in Dora Europos, Syria, 3rd century AD. From Wikipedia

A cloth dyed in crimson was identified - the colors of royal clothing from the time of David and Solomon 3,000 years ago

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In a joint study by the Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and Bar-Ilan University, archaeologists who unearthed pieces of cloth dyed in the royal crimson color from the time of Kings David and Solomon discovered that archaeologists: "The color immediately attracted the
The tag of the girl Annie Caper. On this side - the girl's name and address. Photo by Yoram Chaimi

Personal identification tags worn by four children sent to the extermination camp in Sobibor, Poland, were uncovered in an archaeological dig at the site

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The children of the tags: Leah Yehudit Delpaniya, Dedi Zak, Annie Caper, the child David Yehuda. Yoram Chaimi, archaeologist of the Antiquities Authority: "I have been digging at the site for ten years, and on this day I broke down."
Children from Hispin who volunteer in the excavation point to the figures blackened on the stone. Photo: Yaniv Berman, Antiquities Authority

For the first time: a fortified complex from the time of King David was discovered in the Golan

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Unearthed in archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority prior to the expansion of the settlement of Hispin, funded by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Golan Regional Council *According to the archaeologists, "it is likely that the Goshurites, who ruled the Golan and maintained diplomatic and family ties with
A barbell worth 2 shekels from the First Temple period. Photo by Shai Halevi, Antiquities Authority (5)

An ancient weight of two shekels from the First Temple period was discovered at the Western Wall

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According to Dr. Barak Monikandam-Givaon and Thila Lieberman, the dig managers on behalf of the Antiquities Authority: "The barbell is made in the shape of a dome with a flat base. At the top of the weight is carved a sign that resembles the letter E, an Egyptian sign that represents an abbreviation of
The second title excavation uncovered. Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

Has the 'Commissioner's Palace' from the First Temple period been revealed?

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Magnificent and rare remains of a royal building from the time of the kings of Judah were discovered in an excavation by the Antiquities Authority on the famous Jerusalem Promenade
Photos of the cache as found in the field. Photo: Yuli Schwartz, Antiquities Authority

A cache of 425 coins made of pure gold from about 1,100 years ago was discovered

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The treasure was uncovered by apprentices of a year of service in the excavation of the Antiquities Authority in the center of the country
cache images. Photo: Liat Nadav-Ziv, Antiquities Authority

A 1200-year-old hoard of gold coins was discovered in archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in Yavne

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Excavations in the biblical Betzkalg. Photo-excavation expedition to Horbat al-Rai (8)

Researchers from the Hebrew University, the Antiquities Authority and Macquarie University in Sydney: "We have found the biblical Tzkelg"

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The remains of the fortress. Photo: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Antiquities Authority

Antiquities Authority researchers estimate: We found the remains of the Hakra - the citadel with which the Greeks controlled the Temple until they were defeated in the Hasmonean rebellion

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Is a large burial structure recently uncovered by the Antiquities Authority and residents of the Modi'in area, the real tomb of the Maccabees?

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A close-up photo of a Byzantine well discovered during rescue excavations by the Antiquities Authority in Ramat Ha'il, February 2014. Photo: Hami Schiff, courtesy of the Antiquities Authority

A large and impressive 1,400-year-old well was uncovered in archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority in Ramat Ha'il

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