Archeology

Israel digs up the West Bank – and reignites a battle over history

As Israel expands excavations in the West Bank, ancient ruins become entangled in a modern political struggle over land, history, and identity

Workers and volunteers on an archaeological dig sift through dirt at Alexandrion/Sartaba in the Jordan Valley.
Blois, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Inv. 73.7.52.

Rare Archimedes text resurfaces in a French museum, researchers confirm

Human skeleton from a flooded cave along Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

Rare 8,000-year-old human remains found in Mexican underwater cave

150-year-old bottle unearthed in Utah may contain alcoholic apple cider

Hundred-fifty-year-old bottle unearthed in Utah may contain alcoholic apple cider


4,000-year-old evidence of psychoactive betel nut chewing found in Southeast Asia - study

Betel nut, the seed of the areca palm fruit, is often chewed inside a betel leaf with lime. The practice has been known for its psychoactive effects, including heightened alertness and euphoria.

Betel nuts are displayed in a stall at an agricultural fair at the Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra campus in Bangalore on November 19, 2009.

Archaeologists find 2,000-year-old labyrinth that reveals India’s role in ancient global trade

The structure is composed of 15 concentric stone circuits - the highest number ever documented in an Indian circular labyrinth.

India archeologist. Ilustrative.

Oldest evidence of transport technology uncovered in White Sands, New Mexico

Archaeologists working at White Sands National Park have uncovered traces of a pre-wheeled vehicle alongside human and mammoth footprints preserved in late Pleistocene sediments.

The White Sands National Monument Visitor Center is seen at the White Sands National Park, New Mexico, U.S. June 24, 2025

New frescoes unearthed in villa near Pompeii show 'extraordinary details and colors'

Archaeologists found a nearly complete peahen fresco, missing its head, dating to the mid-first century B.C., that may have belonged to Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of Emperor Nero.

A fresco of a peacock unearthed at the Villa Poppaea in Oplontis, on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, in Torre Annunziata, Italy, in this handout released December 18, 2025.

Tomb raiders: Italy busts massive archaeological looting ring, recovers 10,000 artifacts

Officers seized around 10,000 archaeological artifacts, including 7,000 coins issued by various Greek city-states that existed on Sicily in ancient times.

Roman Empire ruins, Rome, Italy.

Hanukkah miracle: Israel discovers evidence of Judah Maccabee’s battlefield near Jerusalem

The site is widely identified with the ancient village of Bet Zecharia, where the Seleucid army and the forces of Judah Maccabee clashed in what is known as the fifth Maccabean battle.

A bronze coin from the Asia Minor city of Side found at Horbat Bet Zecharia south of Jerusalem, where the Maccabees fought the Greek Seleucid army.

Hasmonean era 'first wall' section revealed at Tower of David museum excavation - interview

Israel’s Heritage Minister, Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, called the discovery: “tangible and moving evidence of Jerusalem’s might and stature during the Hasmonean period.”

Archaeologist Amit Re'em and Eilat Lieber, director of the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum stand atop the recently uncovered section of the Hasmonean wall.

Ancient piggy bank: Excavation in France reveals 40,000 Roman coins from 1,700 years ago

The experts who analysed the coins believe, based on the dates on the coins, that the discovery unburied a treasure which was buried between A.D. 280 and 310.

A jug holding a vast number of Roman coins was found during an excavation at a French village.

Ancient cistern mistaken for Hezbollah tunnel near northern Israel border

"When you see a hole in the ground next to the fence, you instinctively think of Hezbollah tunnels. This kind of anxiety doesn’t fade easily," a Shlomi resident commented.

 The entrance to Shlomi

Israeli archaeologists uncover remains of dramatic mountaintop royal palace

“It sheds light on the architectural style and the function of the site, which is not mentioned by Josephus, our only historical source for the period,” Dr. Raviv, director of the excavation, said.

The dramatic mountaintop site rising 650 meters above the Jordan Valley