Archaeological Site

Inside the tragic, decades-long mystery of Qumran's lost Second Temple incense

The vast majority of material was lost after a 2025 murder. All that remains is a small amount of dust collected from the floor and a few samples preserved by the Jones family.

A cave in the Qumran area of the Dead Sea region.
Ancient stone circle found underground at Machrie Moor in Scotland, July 15, 2026.

Hidden for millennia: Mystery ancient stone circle discovered beneath Scotland's Machrie Moor

A fragment of a 2,000-year-old Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection; illustrative.

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls' greatest mysteries may have finally been solved by Israeli researcher

Antique pocket watch and ruble coins discovered by Chabad summer camp kids in the town of Lyubavichi, Russia, July 12, 2026.

Coming full circle: Luxury watch belonging to Chabad rebbes found by hasidic children in Lyubavichi


Egyptian researchers discover collection of ancient rock art spanning 10,000 years in Sinai desert

The engravings and drawings are divided into several groups, researchers learned in their initial study of the space, the oldest of which are done in red and dated to between 10,000 and 5,500 BCE.

Red pigment drawings discovered by Egyptian archaeologists on the Umm Arak Plateau in the southern Sinai, February 17, 2026.

Second Temple workshop found on Israel's Mount Scopus during investigation into antiquities thieves

The workshop was discovered at the Ras Tamim archaeological site on the eastern slope of Mount Scopus. 

Newly discovered limestone shards and vessels on display in the new "Criminal Past" exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, February 16, 2026.

On This Day: Howard Carter enters King Tut's burial chamber in Egypt's Valley of Kings

Additional treasures found within the burial chamber are housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

 English archaeologist Howard Carter near the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun in the Valley of Kings, Egypt. Photo acquired on February 16, 2026.

Cambridge students find burial pit, 9th century ‘giant’ who underwent surgery during training dig

The pit is believed to have been from a time of conflict “between the Saxon-run kingdom of Mercia and the kingdom of East Anglia, which was conquered by the Vikings in around 870 [CE]."

Cambridge University archaeologists and students discover 9th century CE mass burial pit during a training dig at Wandlebury Country Park on the outskirts of Cambridge, UK, February 4, 2026.

Zapotec tomb from 600 CE marks Mexico’s most ‘significant archaeological discovery’ in last decade

The Zapotecs were a major pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished in Oaxaca from circa 700-500 BC until the Spanish conquest.

Owl carving above the entrance to a Zapotec tomb from 600 CE in the Oaxaca Valley, Mexico, February 14, 2026.

German archaeologists discover medieval tunnel system inside Neolithic burial site

Thousands of similar tunnel systems have been discovered across Europe and despite this, their purpose has been subject to decades of theory and debate. 

Erdstall discovered in late 2025 by the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) during excavations near Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, February 14, 2026.

Stone seal from biblical Kingdom of Judea discovered during construction in northern Israel

The seal, which is made of a light brown gemstone, is thought by archaeologists to have been “hung like a necklace around its owner’s neck,” and decoratively divided into three. 

An 8th century stone seal believed to have belong to a high-ranking official of the biblical Kingdom of Judah. The inscription reads: “Belonging to Makhach (son of) Amihai." Picture released on February 12, 2026.

Researchers discover world’s oldest sewn hide, dated to Ice Age, in Oregon caves - study

Through carbon dating, researchers have ruled that the artifacts are between approximately 11,700 and 12,900 years old, a time when Ice Age temperatures had returned after a brief warm period.

Inside Sea Lion Caves, Oregon, February 10, 2026.

Authorities reveal discovery of fourth century Roman shipwreck off Italy’s southern coast

According to the ministry, the site has been under constant monitoring by Italy’s financial police to “protect the site from possible looting and to preserve its enormous scientific value.”

Divers carrying amphorae from the fourth century AD Roman shipwreck discovered off the coast of Gallipoli, southern Italy in June 2025.

Elephant bone found at Spanish archaeological site may have marched on Rome with Hannibal - study

The finding represents the first elephant skeletal remains found to possibly confirm Hannibal’s historical march from Carthage to Italy during the Second Punic War.

 A member of staff of the Natural History Museum in Berne, Switzerland, checks the skeleton of an elephant on show at the museum's Skeleton Hall, September 16, 2005.