Archaeology

‘Zionist act of highest order’: Smotrich allocates NIS 113m. to develop West Bank heritage sites

The West Bank is home to over 2,600 archaeological and heritage sites, including the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the Qumran Caves in the Judean Desert, and Sebastia. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
People visit Herodion National Park at the site in the West Bank, on January 9, 2023.
Sunrise at Dir Aziz, a fourth-century synagogue in the Golan Heights.

At sunrise in an ancient Golan synagogue, the debate over sovereignty feels absurd - opinion

Zionism, at its foundation, is the return of an indigenous people to the hills, springs, and sacred sites that shaped its civilization long before anyone called it a nation-state.

|ByNOAM BEDEIN
This photograph shows a Greek flag painted on rocks at the 2,918 metre high summit of Mytikas, the highest peak of Mount Olympus, northern Greece, on July 6, 2026.

UNESCO adds 25 new World Heritage Sites including Mount Olympus, Normandy's D-Day beaches

The List of World Heritage Sites includes sites in three categories: cultural sites, natural sites, and mixed sites which combine the two.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Ancient coins seized during raid on home of suspected antiquities smuggler, July 28, 2026.

Authorities seize thousands of stolen artifacts in raid on antiquities smuggler's home in West Bank

Trading in antiquities without a permit and searching for antiquities without a license using a metal detector are all criminal offenses under Israeli law.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

First Temple-era figurine mold unearthed in Jerusalem's 'most significant excavation' in decades

Tower of David Museum Chief Curator Eilat Lieber said that "the discovery of the first mold for producing figurines dating to the First Temple period has generated tremendous excitement."

JULY 27, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A rare Judean Pillar Figurine mold dating to the First Temple period found in the Tower of David, July 27, 2026.

Ancient Cypriot silver coin found on Ashdod's shore offers new insight into 2,500-year-old trade

The approximately 2,500-year-old coin was located by Ashdod Beaches Department Deputy Director Avi Chaprak during a search to locate objects lost by visitors to the beach.

JULY 27, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The ancient Cypriot silver coin dating to the mid-5th century BCE found on Ashdod's shore, July 26, 2026.

Previously undiscovered ancient Egyptian tomb found at Theban necropolis on Nile's west bank

Inscriptions found within the tomb bear the name of its owner, “Paser,” as well as wall paintings depicted Paser worshipping the shrines of several deities.

JULY 26, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Previously undiscovered tomb of an individual named "Paser," found at the ancient Theban necropolis, July 24, 2026.

France returns 23 artifacts to Syria after 15 year-long loan amid Macron’s historic Damascus visit

The artifacts were originally loaned in 2010 and 2011 to the Arab World Institute (IMA ) in Paris from museums in Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, and Palmyra.

JULY 26, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa presided over the official handover ceremony of the artifacts, which took place at the People's Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026.

Researchers decode 200-year-old Red Sea navigational chart, revealing lost seafaring secrets

The document, dated to the late 18th or early 19th century, is illustrated with images of ships and religious buildings. It depicts more than 180 islands, along with reefs, landmarks and flags. 

JULY 25, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The Indian, Kachchhi/Gujarati, document.

Byzantine gold artifacts help archaeologists uncover past of ship wrecked off Croatian coast

His team, equipped with diving gear, has spent the past decade slowly uncovering the history of the ship, whose wreckage lies near the Adriatic island of Mljet.

JULY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
Igor Miholjek, head of research, Croatian Conservation Institute, Department of Underwater Archaeology, shows the gold buckle decorated with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, which they found in a Byzantine shipwreck near Polace on the island of Mljet, Croatia, July 21, 2026.

Oldest copy of Homer’s Odyssey in book form joins Christopher Nolan's film press tour

The Manchester Odyssey dates back to the third century BCE  in Egypt, around the time scrolls went out of fashion and “bound” books became more popular. 

JULY 24, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The earliest surviving example of Homer’s Odyssey, July 21, 2026.

‘Weaponization of cultural heritage’: Israel accuses PA of exploiting UNESCO in bid for Sebastia

The 450-acre site, which has awaited joining the world heritage list since 2012, has a history dating back at least 3,000 years.

JULY 23, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Israelis visit the site of the ancient village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 22, 2019

Days before Tisha B'Av: Charred wooden beams from First Temple’s destruction unearthed in Jerusalem

The First Temple, built by the biblical King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BCE at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar II, the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. 

JULY 20, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The burnt wooden beams discovered in the City of David, July 20, 2026.

Ancient humans precisely navigated northern Israel to find right stones for tools, study suggests

Basalt seemingly held special importance at GBY, particularly for producing large cutting tools like handaxes and cleavers. 

JULY 19, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A microscopic view of buried basalt from Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov. This image shows olivine basalt recovered from the Eshel Ya‘aqov borehole, examined as a thin section under polarized light to reveal its minerals and texture. Image taken under cross-polarized light (XPL); scale bar = 0.5 mm.