Archaeological study

Inside the tragic, decades-long mystery of Qumran's lost Second Temple incense

The vast majority of material was lost after a 2025 murder. All that remains is a small amount of dust collected from the floor and a few samples preserved by the Jones family.

A cave in the Qumran area of the Dead Sea region.
A fragment of a 2,000-year-old Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection; illustrative.

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls' greatest mysteries may have finally been solved by Israeli researcher

A fragment of a 2,000-year-old Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection; illustrative.

New AI-powered research project aims to uncover the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Composite Aerial Photo of Building 101, Tel Eton, June 23, 2026.

Ancient stone at Tel Eton may provide new proof of King Hezekiah’s religious reform, study suggests


Native American use of dice, probability predates known Old World dice by millenia - study

In total, archaeologist Robert Madden observed 659 sets of Native American dice from 57 archaeological sites across 12 different states. 

A series of Native American dice discovered at archaeological sites in the western US, April 9, 2026.

Neanderthals who lived in Siberian cave millenia apart were distant relatives, study finds

Further analysis of the genetic similarity showed that Neanderthals in the Altai region likely lived in groups of fewer than 50 people.

 World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain. Illustration.

Lost mosaic shows first visual depiction of women fighting beasts in Roman arenas - study

The mosaic, recovered in 1860s Reims, France and dated to the third century CE, shows about 35 different gladiatorial and hunting scenes, each surrounded by diamond or square-shaped decorations.

(a) Section of the mosaic showing the leopard and the woman. (b) Section of the mosaic showing the venator with the pole, the leopard, and the woman.

China's largest artifact made of meteorite iron found in Bronze Age ritual site - study

To date, a total of 13 meteoritic iron artifacts have been identified in China, with most found in the country’s north. 

(Illustrative) A massive 420 kg meteorite on display in Paris, France, November 5, 2025.

Israel’s 'Stonehenge’ not alone with near 30 similar sites, satellite imagery reveals - study

The newly discovered sites all share a similar design: large circular structures, between approximately 50 to 250 meters in diameter, built with stones taken from local basalt fields.

Rujm el-Hiri site in Golan Heights, March 27, 2026.

Stone handaxes found in Galilee show early humans valued aesthetics of their tools - study

The axes were dated to the Pleistocene, likely made by Homo erectus, the first human species to evolve to have a humanlike body shape and gait, who had lived in the region thousands of years ago.

 A handaxe incorporating a geode (“Elijah’s apple”) from the Sakhnin Valley in northern Israel, March 24, 2026.

Polish archaeologists find evidence of legendary king hidden in south Sudan - study

Despite its origin, the decree is seemingly ordinary. Written by a royal scribe named Hamad, it instructs an individual named Khidr to exchange textiles for livestock.

Dongola. Qashqash Manuscript.

Dressed for the afterlife: What 7,000-year-old grave soil reveals about Stone Age clothing - study

The study uses the technique of microarchaeology to examine the soil collected from 35 graves at the Skateholm I and II cemeteries in southern Sweden.

 Study reveals Stone Age methods of extracting animal teeth for jewelry. Illustration

Ancient clay beads found in northern Israel rewrite timeline of cultural expression in the region

Researchers identified 19 different types of beads, whose shapes are reminiscent of plants that were harvested by Natufians, and were vital to their lives, such as wild barley, lentils, and peas. 

A butterfly clay bead from the Final Natufian period in Eynan-Mallaha, Hula Valley, colored red with ochre and marked with the fingerprints of an approximately 10-year-old child, March 18, 2026.

Lesson learned: First inscribed Hellenistic sling bullet found in Golan Heights' ancient Hippos

The sling bullet found in 2025 at Hippos is the first inscribed bullet to be discovered at the site in 26 years of excavations.

Sling bullet found in near the ancient city of Hippos in the Golan Heights bearing the Greek inscription “Learn,” March 16, 2026.