The rocky brown soil of the Negev desert suggests an empty environment, but recent excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority have brought to light an ancient mosque from the 7th-8th centuries CE there. It’s one of the earliest known mosques in the world, a surprising find in the area. Dr. Jon Seligman and Shahar Zur, […]
Conventional thought among archaeologists was that Neolithic people didn’t settle in the area around the Judean Hills. Yet Motza, 5 kilometers west of Jerusalem, was always within easy distance of fresh water from the Sorek river, and near good agricultural ground. A trail coming from the southern foothills allowed access to traders and emigrants. All […]
Terracotta vats and vessels stained purple from the fabulous dyes of the Bible era were excavated 50 years ago at the site of Tel Shikmona, south of Haifa. But no further studies were done on the Iron-Age findings. The pottery sat gathering even more dust on storehouse shelves at Haifa University. History waited to be […]
We’ve all heard about the Good Samaritan. What about the Wealthy Samaritan? And did you know that two small groups of native Samaritans still live in Israel protecting their customs as they did in biblical times? A 1,600 year old estate of a wealthy Samaritan covered in Central Israel at Zur Natan. The estate, discovered in […]
An exciting find from Jerusalem was presented for the first time today (Tuesday) during a joint press conference of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Museum: a unique stone inscription dating to the Second Temple Period (First Century CE), mentioning Jerusalem, written in Hebrew letters, and using the spelling as we know it today. […]
Not so long ago the dream vacation included a sail around Italy or a cruise around the Greek Isles. As adventurers become better travelled they look to novel destinations not covered widely in travel books or in Hollywood movies. One of those secret places, unspoilt nature, lovely locals, with a European vibe is Croatia. There […]
Mentalist Uri Geller is building a museum in the world’s most ancient port city, Jaffa. When they start digging, an ancient olive soap factory is unearthed. The impressive masbena – or soap-manufacturing factory – dates back to the nineteenth century was discovered along with several large underground chambers. “Our work on the museum required, among […]
Fancy some fresh bread, right out of the fire pit? It was fresh…14,400 years ago. Until recently, it was thought that the earliest bread, discovered in the 9,500-year-old settlement of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, was the product of Neolithic grain farming. But charred crumbs discovered in northeast Jordan reveal that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in this region ate bread […]
The Australian government is investigating the case of a 95-year-old Perth woman accused of looting artefacts from Middle Eastern countries including Egypt. Joan Howard – now dubbed “Indiana Joan” – lived in during the 1960s and 70s with her husband, a senior official with the United Nations.
They were found in a 4000 year old tomb. Begging the question – why a jar of decapitated toads? What strange customs did our ancestors practice? According to archaeologists who uncovered the recent finding, the frogs were part of ancient funeral practices. Researchers say these fascinating findings from an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation near the […]
