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Tiny Gold Rings Beneath Jerusalem Floors Hint at a 2,200-Year-Old Ritual
A tiny gold ring set with a deep-red stone may reveal an unexpectedly personal side of life in Hellenistic Jerusalem more than 2,200 years ago. Archaeologists discovered the ring beneath the floor of a large residential building at the Givati Parking Lot excavation in the City of David. Measuring just 1.2 centimeters in diameter, the…
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1,700-Year-Old Marble Busts Found Face Down in an Ancient Winepress Near Caesarea
Two intact marble busts dating back about 1,700 years have been uncovered near Binyamina in northern Israel, lying face down inside the collection pit of a Roman-Byzantine winepress. The discovery, announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority, stands out because the statues were not found where they once stood. They had been carefully placed inside the…
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Sealed Cave Near Haifa Preserves 300,000-Year-Old Traces of Early Humans
A sealed prehistoric cave near Fureidis, south of Haifa, is giving archaeologists a rare chance to study human life in the Levant around 300,000 years ago. The cave is being uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Haifa, with support from Ayalon Highways. Researchers say the site was sealed for hundreds of…
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Second Crusader Sword Discovered Off Israel Coast Five Years After First Find
Five years after uncovering a barnacle-covered Crusader sword off the coast of Israel, diver Shlomi Katzin has returned to nearly the same location—and found another. The new find is already drawing attention from archaeologists, not just for its rarity, but for what it suggests about medieval activity along the region’s shoreline. A Chance Encounter Turns…
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5,000-Year-Old Winepress and Canaanite Ritual Site Discovered near Megiddo
Long before the rise of ancient Israel, people in the Jezreel Valley were already producing wine and performing sacred rituals. Recent excavations east of Tel Megiddo have now brought these forgotten practices to light, exposing a 5,000-year-old winepress and a 3,300-year-old ritual complex tied to the Canaanite cult. The discoveries, announced by the Israel Antiquities…
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First Assyrian Inscription Ever Found in Jerusalem Reveals Diplomatic Ties Between Kings
Archaeologists in Jerusalem have made a discovery that could reshape our understanding of the city’s ancient political landscape: a 2,700-year-old pottery fragment bearing an Assyrian inscription — the first of its kind ever found in Jerusalem.Written in Akkadian cuneiform, the text appears to record a royal communication between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of…
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2,150-Year-Old Hellenistic Weight Seized in Jerusalem
Jerusalem – A rare lead weight dating back more than two millennia has been seized in an operation carried out by the Theft Prevention Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The artifact, remarkably well preserved, bears the name of an official responsible for regulating trade during the Hellenistic period. The inscription reads: “Heliodoros, son of…
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“Ringed Nun” Discovered Near Jerusalem: Shedding Light on Byzantine-Era Extreme Asceticism
In an ancient Byzantine monastery just outside Jerusalem, the remains of a woman buried with 30 iron rings attached to her body have been found. This striking discovery provides the first archaeological evidence of extreme asceticism among female monks, a phenomenon previously known only from historical texts. Innovative technology used by researchers from the Israel…