Archaeological study

Ancient clay beads found in northern Israel rewrite timeline of cultural expression in the region

Researchers identified 19 different types of beads, whose shapes are reminiscent of plants that were harvested by Natufians, and were vital to their lives, such as wild barley, lentils, and peas. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A butterfly clay bead from the Final Natufian period in Eynan-Mallaha, Hula Valley, colored red with ochre and marked with the fingerprints of an approximately 10-year-old child, March 18, 2026.
Sling bullet found in near the ancient city of Hippos in the Golan Heights bearing the Greek inscription “Learn,” March 16, 2026.

Lesson learned: First inscribed Hellenistic sling bullet found in Golan Heights' ancient Hippos

The sling bullet found in 2025 at Hippos is the first inscribed bullet to be discovered at the site in 26 years of excavations.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The Princess of Bagicz’s wooden coffin, accessed on February 27, 2026.

Ancient Polish 'princess' burial date revealed after decades of archaeological mystery - study

In 1899, the young woman’s coffin, made of a hollowed-out oak log, had tumbled from an eroding cliff above the Baltic coast village. She was nicknamed by locals as the “Princess of Bagicz.”

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Cone-shaped clay vessels, known as cornets, found across hundreds of sites in Israel and Jordan, February 27, 2026.

Israeli researchers crack century-old mystery of cone-shaped vessels found near Dead Sea - study

The fragments had been excavated from the Teleilat el-Ghassul archaeological site near the Dead Sea in Jordan between 1931 and 1938.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

CT scans unlock secrets of mummified Inca children ritually sacrificed over 500 years ago - study

Researchers examined four frozen mummies recovered from the Ampato and Sara Sara volcanoes in southern Peru during the 1990s using CT scans.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The remains of one of the four children found by archeologists, buried in the Inca sanctuary of Pachacamac, in the coastal desert strip 30 km south of Lima. Picture taken on November 9, 2010.

Meet Britain's oldest Northerner: The ‘Ossick Lass' buried over 11,000 years ago - study

In addition to the Ossick Lass, the remains of at least seven other individuals had also recovered from the cave.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Rural landscape, Cumbria, Lake District, UK, February 25, 2026.

40,000-year-old markings may be the roots of script

German discovery of Stone Age art may reveal a precursor to writing

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
The mammoth figurine from Vogelherd Cave, approximately 40,000 years old, bears multiple sequences of crosses and dots on its surface.

Experts use AI to crack mystery of 2,000-year-old Roman board game found in Netherlands - study

“This is the first time that AI-driven simulated play has been used in concert with archaeological methods to identify a board game,” Crist concluded. 

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A 2,000-year-old limestone slab found beneath the Dutch city of Heerlen, recently discovered to be a Roman era board game, February 23, 2026.

Amateur diver finds Crusader-era sword off Israel’s coast, for the second time

Tests indicate the meter-long (3.3-foot) weapon likely belonged to a 12th-century Crusader who brought it from Europe.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ancient Crusader sword, dated to the 12th century CE, discovered off of Israel's Dor Beach in northern Israel, February 22, 2026.

New dating of Jordan Valley site rewrites timeline of human migration from Africa - study

Researchers used three different methods to date the site, challenging the preexisting notion of the site being between 1.2 and 1.6 million years old.

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A bifacial stone tool from ‘Ubeidiya, February 20, 2026.

Newly identified ancient Egyptian copper drill rewrites history of region’s craftsmanship

The drill’s chemical composition was also surprising, study co-author Jiří Kmošek noted, as it is made up of an unusual copper alloy containing arsenic, nickel, lead, and silver. 

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Original photograph of the artifact published in 1927 (L) and the actual artifact, February 20, 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.

FEBRUARY 10, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Inside Sea Lion Caves, Oregon, February 10, 2026.

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.

FEBRUARY 7, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
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.

Canine remains discovered in Bulgaria show dog meat may have been Iron Age delicacy - study

The Greeks, as well as the Thracians, who lived in what is now modern-day Bulgaria, are believed by researchers to have consumed dog meat. 

FEBRUARY 5, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Dog skull found during an archaeological excavation.