Israel archeology

Talmudic sages were active participants in ancient Mediterranean wine culture

According to a new study, the sages "sought ways to allow Jewish farmers to remain part of the wine industry without compromising Halacha.”

A Ramat HaNadiv vineyard that uses traditional cultivation methods.
The Israel Antiquities Authority excavation near Kiryat Gat.

Ancient blade workshop unearthed near Kiryat Gat, first of its kind in southern Israel

 ‘THEY ARE are organic. They can be burned.’ Ivory artifacts, like the figurines pictured here, were among the highest priority artifacts to be removed from the museum to safety.

How Israel safeguards archaeological treasures amid Iranian attacks

 Amichai Eliyahu at the Knesset. January 21, 2025.

Digging too deep? Political dispute delays archaeological congress in Israel


Ancient pyramid, coins, and weapons: Archaeologists unearth Judean Desert treasure trove

A 2,200-year-old pyramid-shaped structure and artifacts were uncovered in the Judean Desert, reshaping history. The IAA-led dig near Nahal Zohar invites volunteers to help uncover its purpose.

Reseachers uncover a pyramid-like structure in the Judean Desert, photo taken March 2025

Ancient animal extinction may explain lack of cave art in Israel - study

New Tel Aviv University research suggests prehistoric humans in Israel didn't create cave paintings because large animals had already gone extinct there, unlike in Europe.

 A scene from Upper Paleolithic Chauvet cave, France.

Rujm el-Hiri mystery deepens: Golan Heights site not what previously thought, research indicates

A theory of the site was that its walls and entrances aligned with astronomical bodies, but as the site has shifted from its original position, it does not correspond to celestial observations

Rujm el-Hiri, an archaeological site of the early bronze age II period (3000-2700 BCE) located at the centre of the Golan Heights near Yonatan. It contains more than 42000 basalt rocks, with a 160m diameter and 2.4m in height. November 10, 2021.

Ten-year-old boy finds 100-year-old golden cross medallion in Jerusalem

“This cross medallion is not considered an antiquity by law as it is ‘only’ 100-200 hundred years old or so, but it is a unique object," said Dr Re'em of IAA.

 Cross medallion inset with glass and tiny precious stones.

'Exquisite' 1,700-year-old lamp bearing Temple symbols discovered in Jerusalem

"The exquisite artistic workmanship of the lamp, which was found complete, makes it outstanding and extremely rare."


Recent excavations reveal King Sennacherib's military impact on the economy of the Kingdom of Judah

Excavations in Jerusalem revealed that Sennacherib’s 701 BCE military campaign impacted Judah's economy, uncovering administrative changes under King Hezekiah.

 The Judahite stamp impressions are being displayed to the public for the first time at at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel.

Rare archaeological stone seal uncovered in Jerusalem

Seal discovery with Paleo-Hebrew script uncovered from the First Temple period during a recent excavation in Jerusalem.

 The stone seal found in Jerusalem.

Artifact confirming Jewish King David as historical figure on display in Edmond, Oklahoma

The Tel Dan Stele, a key biblical artifact, will be displayed at Herbert W. Armstrong College from September 22 to November 25.

 The victory stele discovered by Avraham Biran in 1993 in northern Israel. The inscription on the stele provided the first confirmation of King David as a historical figure.

Lost Assyrian camp uncovered: Could it prove the biblical siege of Jerusalem?

Stephen Compton, an expert in Near Eastern archaeology, used modern mapping techniques to identify the remains of what he believes to be ancient Assyrian military camps dating back to around 700 B.C.

 A depiction of Sennacherib's Palace in Nineveh

IAA discovers rare 6,000-year-old elephant ivory vessel near Beersheba

The discovery provides evidence of ties between this region and Egypt in the Chalcolithic period.

 The rare, recently discovered ivory vessel

'Garden of Eden': Israel's Jordan Valley opens new national park

A prehistoric Garden of Eden with mammoths, giraffes, saber-tooth tigers, and hippopotami

 The prehistoric Ubeidiya site where an ancient vertebrae was discovered