Archaeology

Jewish educators should stop relying on archaeology to prove Israel’s history - opinion

For a student who has never held an ancient artifact, a relic proves our history beyond argument. It connects us to distant times with a tangible demonstration of the Jewish people’s bond to the land

Workers and volunteers on an archaeological dig sift through dirt at Alexandrion/Sartaba in the Jordan Valley.
Aerial view of the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in Ramat Gan, August 16, 2026.

WATCH: Archaeologists unearth 1,300-year-old ‘shopping hub’ beneath stadium in central Israel

Upton Lovell Shaman exhibit at the Wiltshire Museum.

‘Smoking gun evidence’: Bronze Age shaman long thought to be male revealed to be female goldworker

A Battle-Scene from the Rameseum at Thebes', 1890. Battle of Kadesh relief (c1275BC) at the Ramesseum memorial temple in the Theban necropolis.  From "Cassell's Illustrated Universal History, Vol. I - Early and Greek History", by Edmund Ollier.

Ancient Egyptian princesses were skilled archers, trained with weapons, controversial study claims


Heritage Minister taps INEXTG CEO Esther Shreiber for next IAA director, first woman in role

Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government. 

INEXTG CEO Esti Shrieber, tapped to be the next director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

US returns two rare, ancient coins to Israel following joint antiquities theft investigation

One of the coins, depicting the Temple's seven-branched menorah, was minted in Hasmonean-ruled Jerusalem, while the other, the second of its kind ever found, was minted in ancient Ashkelon.

Hasmonean-era coin depicted the seven-branched menorah (L) and silver tetradrachm minted in Ashkelon during the Persian period (R) which were returned to Israel from the United States earlier this week, May 13, 2026.

Central-Eastern Europe's oldest Neanderthal group identified by DNA taken from teeth - study

Notably, three of the teeth - two belonging to children and one to an adult - taken from different sediment layers within the cave, all shared identical mitochondrial DNA.

 Neanderthal communities in prehistoric Europe. How were they linked? (Illustrative)

Knesset advances in first reading bill to form Israeli antiquities authority in West Bank

Should the bill pass, it would shift responsibility currently belonging to the Defense Ministry to the Heritage Ministry.

An Israeli flag is raised on the peak of Mount Sartaba in the Jordan Valley, February 23, 2026.

Eight-year-old boy visiting Ramon Crater finds over 1,700-year-old statue fragment hidden in rocks

“I was looking for special things on the ground that I could show in class,” Wolynitz shared. “ Suddenly, I noticed an interesting stone with stripes lying on the ground, and picked it up.”

Eight-year-old Dor Wolynitz with the over 1,700-year-old statuette fragment he found in the Ramon Crater area, May 11, 2026.

Wooden platform older than Stonehenge found hidden beneath man-made island in Scotland

The analysis found that the crannog started out as a circular wooden platform, measuring at around 23 meters across, and topped with brushwood.

The crannog at Loch Bhorgastail, Scotland, May 8, 2026.

Scientists find traces of rare 'imperial' Tyrian purple dye found in Roman infant burials in York

Tyrian’s costly nature comes from the difficulty of its creation - made in a process similar to that of tekhelet, the blue dye traditionally used in Judaism to color strings of the tzizit.

"Seeing the Dead" project member studying the burial cast of a Roman infant for traces of Tyrian purple, May 8, 2026.

US repatriates over 300 artifacts to Italy, including ancient Roman funerary stone found by FBI

Among the most significant items unveiled at the ceremony were a marble head of Alexander the Great dating to the first century CE, which was stolen from a Rome museum in 1960.

Two stolen artifacts returned to Italy by the United States in a handover ceremony in Rome, April 29, 2026.

Collection of Greek, Roman, Byzantine artifacts discovered in neighborhood of Egypt’s Alexandria

Professor Ibrahim Mustafa, head of the archaeological mission and director of the Central District, stated that initial restoration work for the artifacts has already started.

Statues of ancient Greek and Roman dieties discovered in  in the Muharram Bek neighborhood of Alexandria, Egypt, May 8, 2026.

Nearly 2,000-year-old 'souvenir cup' found in Spain names Hadrian's Wall's eastern forts - study

The cup is decorated with red, green, turquoise, and blue enamel, all arranged in geometric patterns, including fish scales and tower motifs that are believed to represent the wall itself. 

3D reconstruction of the Berlanga Cup.