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Ink inscriptions on clay (ostraca) from Arad. These documents are dated to the latest phase of the First Temple Period in Judah, around 600 BC. Image credit: Michael Cordonsky / Tel Aviv University / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Analysis of 2,600-Year-Old Ink Inscriptions Provides Clues for Dating of Old Testament Texts

Apr 12, 2016 by News Staff

Historians have long debated whether the first major phase of compilation of Biblical texts took place before or after the destruction of Jerusalem and...

‘Hannibal Crossing the Alps on an Elephant,’ a painting by Nicolas Poussin.

Scientists Find Hannibal’s Route through Alps

Apr 7, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of scientists claims to have solved one of the enduring mysteries of ancient history: where did Hannibal — a Carthaginian general...

Kaizer Hilltop quarry: step-like morphology of the quarrying front on the rocks. Image credit: Gabi Laron.

Israeli Archaeologists Discover 11,000-Year-Old Quarry

Mar 31, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered the earliest known Neolithic quarry in the southern Levant. Kaizer Hilltop quarry: step-like morphology...

Closeup of text on the Etruscan stele. Image credit: Mugello Valley Project.

Archaeologists Find Etruscan Stele with Rare Inscriptions

Mar 30, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of archaeologists has found a religious artifact with a sacred text in the Etruscan language. The 2,500-year-old Etruscan stele was...

Obverse and reverse of the 1,900-year-old gold coin. Image credit: Samuel Magal / Shai Halevy / Israel Antiquities Authority.

1,900-Year-Old Roman Gold Coin Found in Eastern Galilee

Mar 15, 2016 by News Staff

Laurie Rimon, from Kibbutz Kefar Blum in northern Israel, has found an extremely rare gold coin with the face of a Roman emperor. Obverse and reverse of...

Dr. Wiegmann views a 1,600-year-old winepress uncovered in Jerusalem. Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Discover 1,600-Year-Old Winery

Mar 9, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has discovered a large winery dating to the Byzantine period in Jerusalem. Dr. Wiegmann...

Neanderthals in a cave. Image credit: Tyler B. Tretsven.

Neanderthals May Have Used Manganese Dioxide to Light Fires

Mar 4, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Neanderthals living in what is now France may have used powdered manganese dioxide for fire making purposes, according to a new study published in the...

A glass counter decorated with twisted colorful strands was found at the site. Image credit: University of Sheffield.

UK Archaeologists Unearth Previously Unknown Anglo-Saxon Settlement

Mar 3, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of professional, student and volunteer archaeologists led by the University of Sheffield has unearthed evidence of a nearly 1,350-year-old Anglo-Saxon...

11,000-year-old pendant. Image credit: Milner, N. et al. / Internet Archaeology, doi: 10.11141/ia.40.8.

Archaeologists Find 11,000-Year-Old Engraved Pendant in Britain

Feb 26, 2016 by News Staff

An 11,000-year-old engraved shale pendant has been found during excavations at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr, UK. 11,000-year-old engraved shale...

A fine wool textile dyed red and blue, found at Timna. The textile used the various colors of natural animal hair to create black and orange-brown colors for decorative bands. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.

3,000-Year-Old Textiles Found in Archaeological Dig in Timna Valley

Feb 24, 2016 by News Staff

Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority have uncovered an extensive fabric collection in the ancient copper mines...

Remains of a Natufian building at NEG II: the wall of this structure is 90 cm high and is the best preserved wall excavated thus far; it is composed of 5 courses of limestone and basalt stones; the wall tilts slightly away from the structure to the northwest and two large stones mark its base at the top of the Natufian occupation level; only the western side of the structure survived, yet the contour of the curve suggests a diameter of at least 5 m. Image credit: Grosman L. et al.

12,000-Year-Old Natufian Village Unearthed in Jordan Valley

Feb 18, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists excavating the Nahal Ein Gev II site in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have discovered the remains of an ancient settlement of the Natufian...

Dr. Lupo next to the remains of a Chalcolithic period building. Image credit: Assaf Peretz / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Archaeologists Uncover Chalcolithic Period Settlement in Jerusalem

Feb 18, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists working in Israel have uncovered the remains of a settlement from the Chalcolithic period (fifth millennium BC). Dr. Lupo next to the remains...

Archaeologists discovered the remains of a large-scale storage for fermented fish dating back to 7,200 BC: a view of the gutter after 50 percent of it had been removed; notice the stark contrast with the surrounding clay under the gutter as well as between the stakeholes and the surrounding clay. Image credit: SHMM / Adam Boethius / Lund University.

Archaeologists Unearth Earliest Evidence of Fish Fermentation

Feb 9, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Archaeologists in Sweden say they have uncovered the remains of a 9,200-year-old storage for fermented fish. Archaeologists discovered the remains of a...

Fresco on the wall of an early Christian church in an ancient underground city near Nevsehir, Cappadocia, Turkey. Image credit: Nevsehir Castle Urban Transformation Project / Nevsehir Municipality / Turkey’s Housing Development Administration.

Early Christian Church Found in Turkey

Feb 4, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of Turkish archaeologists have found an early Christian church in an ancient underground settlement near modern-day Nevsehir, the capital district...

Cut marks on tortoise humerus from Qesem Cave. Image credit: Ruth Blasco et al.

Early Humans Ate Tortoises 400,000 Years Ago

Feb 2, 2016 by News Staff

A team of archaeologists in Israel has uncovered evidence of tortoise bones at the Middle Pleistocene (420,000 to 300,000 years ago) site of Qesem Cave,...

The hummingbird glyph and its surroundings in the Nasca site as seen by standard photography, top, and by NASA’s UAVSAR radar. Dark areas in the UAVSAR image are where the site has been disturbed. Image credit: Google, Digital Globe / NASA / JPL-Caltech.

NASA Airborne Radar ‘Sees’ Nasca Lines

Jan 29, 2016 by News Staff

NASA’s Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), an airborne radar developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, proved...

BM 34757, one of the Babylonian cuneiform tablets translated by Prof. Ossendrijver. Image credit: Mathieu Ossendrijver, Humboldt University / British Museum.

Babylonian Astronomers Used Geometry to Calculate Jupiter’s Position

Jan 29, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to Prof. Mathieu Ossendrijver of Humboldt University in Germany, Babylonian astronomers used geometry to calculate the position of Jupiter —...

Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Tambako The Jaguar / CC BY-ND 2.0.

Ancient Chinese Domesticated Leopard Cats 5,500 Years Ago

Jan 27, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

The 5,500 year old cat remains found more than a decade ago in China have been identified as the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) by an international...

The marble ram unearthed in Caesarea, Israel. Image credit: Vered Sarig / Caesarea Development Corporation.

Magnificent Marble Ram Unearthed in Caesarea

Jan 21, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

In the ruins of the ancient port city of Caesarea, Israeli archaeologists have discovered a magnificent marble statue of ram. The marble ram unearthed...