Second Temple

IAA reveals new study focused on ancient Jerusalem bullae in honor of Israel Excellence Week

According to the IAA, the study aims to examine Jerusalem's administrative systems from the First Temple period through the end of the Second Temple period.

Ancient bullae found in Jerusalem, May 1, 2026.
Aerial photo of Tel Hebron's Second Temple period mikvah, April 30, 2026.

Project to make Tel Hebron’s Second Temple mikveh accessible to visitors nearly complete, INPA says

Rare half-shekel coin discovered in Judean Desert by the Israel Antiquities Authority, February 26, 2026.

Rare half-shekel coin used in biblical census count discovered by archaeologists in Judean Desert

Newly discovered limestone shards and vessels on display in the new "Criminal Past" exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, February 16, 2026.

Second Temple workshop found on Israel's Mount Scopus during investigation into antiquities thieves


'Letters from Home': Exploring tension among Jews in in the Second Temple era - review

The relationship between the Jewish communities of Egypt and Israel created an underlying tension, not unlike the modern-day relationship between world Jewry and the Jews of the State of Israel.

 A RECONSTRUCTION of the blue-tiled Ishtar Gate, the northern entrance to Babylon, on display at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin.

The essence of Purim was never the Diaspora. It was always Jerusalem - opinion

The events in Shushan were never merely about the Jews of Persia. Just a few years before Esther’s miraculous rise, we had begun our return to Jerusalem, laying the foundations of the Second Temple. 

 Israelis are seen in costume for the holiday of Purim, in Jerusalem.

The Finger of Og or Herod's Pillar? A Jerusalem archaeological mystery

The 12.15-meter-long and approximately 1.75-m -wide column is thought to have been quarried in order to decorate the Second Temple.

 Herod's Pillar, or the Finger of Og, lies openly in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem.

Ancient Jewish quarter of Phanagoria discovered in Black Sea area of Russia

Phanagoria's 1st century BCE synagogue was discovered last year, following excavations on the ancient Greek city.

 Ancient Jewish quarter of Phanagoria uncovered in Russia's Taman peninsula

Jerusalem in its glory: Reconstructing the Sukkot pilgrimage to the Second Temple

What was the pilgrims’ visit to Jerusalem on Sukkot during the Second Temple like?

 ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES Authority workers walk down the Herodian Street dig at the City of David National Park, in 2019. Also named The Pilgrim’s Way, the street lies beneath Wadi Hilweh street in the Palestinian village of Silwan, and leads from the Siloam Pool to the Temple Mount.

A letter to Lebanon: Could Northern Arrows free Lebanon from Hezbollah? - opinion

Center Field: A breakthrough in Beirut could lead to a regional turnaround with Tehran, something in everyone's best interest.

 AN ISRAELI soldier drives through southern Lebanon this week. This conflict should be named ‘The Second Hezbollah War,’ or more accurately, ‘The First Iranian War,’ the writer maintains.

Our future is at risk if level of hatred among us is not reduced - opinion

We believe that the most important lesson of Jewish history is that an independent Jewish state is not something that can be taken for granted.

 THE MASSES gather at the Western Wall, toward the conclusion of Tisha B’Av, on Tuesday. We face the risk of another destruction today if we fail to pull back from the brink, the writers warn.

Hopefully this will be the first and last 'real' Tisha B'Av after October 7 - opinion

For the first time, I truly understood what it means to mourn for the destruction of the Temple, for the loss of our homeland, and for the countless lives that have been taken in the name of hatred.

 THE BOOK of Lamentations is read in a Tel Aviv synagogue at the beginning of Tisha B’Av on Monday night, with worshipers sitting on the floor as a sign of mourning. ‘This year, Tisha B’Av was unlike any other I have experienced,’ the writer laments.

Ancient lamps that may have been used by Jewish rebels unearthed in Jerusalem

Within the soil, researchers unearthed pottery lamps which can be dated to the end of the Second Temple era, with soot residue indicating the fire that burned in them.

 A preserved glass vial which was used for perfume or expensive oils.

My son died on Oct. 7. This Tisha B'Av, I think how our greatest threat comes from within - opinion

We dare not go back to the zero-sum game of Oct 6. Significant issues roil the Jewish people today, as they always have.

 A woman walks with her dog next to posters in support of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, August 11, 2024