Archaeology

Rare gemstone discovered by 12-year-old boy during archaeological dig in ancient Jewish village

Dig director Dr. Achia Kohn-Tavorn from Ariel University identified the stone as a Nicolo, a type of agate stone often used in jewelry and signet rings by the Romans as a symbol of wealth.

Twelve-year-old Alon Horwitz who discovered an ancient gemstone at Korazim National Park in the Galilee, June 1, 2026.
An Israeli flag flies over the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026.

What is Beaufort Castle, the historic Crusader fortress Israel now holds in Lebanon? - explainer

Rupert van Der Werff from Summers Place Auctions with a rare skeleton of a long-extinct woolly rhinoceros in Billingshurst, England, March 5, 2019; file photo.

Neanderthals' ancient toolkit included hammers, blades made from rhino teeth, study finds

University of Central Florida researchers sifting through finds from site near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Evidence of ancient Native American life uncovered near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station


Neanderthal tooth from Siberian cave shows signs of earliest-known invasive dental surgery - study

The molar showed that the Neanderthal who underwent the dental procedure was an adult, though the researchers do not know the individual's gender.

Views from five different angles of a molar of an adult Neanderthal individual, discovered at Chagyrskaya Cave in the Siberia region of Russia and dating to about 59,000 years ago, seen in this undated image released on May 13, 2026.

Pompeii victim revealed to be a doctor fleeing Vesuvius’ eruption over 60 years after discovery

The doctor’s identity followed new analysis of archaeological finds kept in the park’s storage warehouses - including a small case hidden within the cast of one of the victims from the garden.

Plaster cast of victim of Pompeii, recently discovered to be a doctor, May 19, 2026.

Over 30 mummified cats, ancient Egyptian tombs, coffins discovered at Luxor necropolis site

According to preliminary studies, four of the coffins date to the 18th Dynasty, including one bearing the name of Merit, believed to be a chantress of Amun.

Ancient Egyptian wooden coffin found at  Draʻ Abu el-Naga’s necropolis site near Thebes, Egypt, May 19, 2026.

Silk Road Virtual Museum opens first Israel exhibit, displays ancient textiles found in Arava

The exhibit, curated by academics from the University of Haifa, features textiles from India, Central Asia, and China.

Ancient textile fragment found at the Nahal Omer archaeological site in the Arava, southern Israel, by archaeologists from the University of Haifa, May 19, 2026.

Egypt exhibits rare artifact from King Tut's tomb, two restored New Kingdom tombs in Luxor

The tombs that were opened are those of Rabuya and his son Samut from the 18th Dynasty, the first of the New Kingdom dynasties. Rabuya and Samut served as door keepers of the deity Amun.

Ancient Egyptian paintings adorn the newly restored tomb wall, inside the recently restored ancient "Samut" in the El-Khokha necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, Egypt, May 14, 2026.

Ancient tunnel with unknown age, purpose found near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel ahead of Jerusalem Day

After descending a set of ancient stairs from the surface, archaeologists found themselves standing at the hewn opening of the tunnel, found to be filled with hundreds of years of ancient sewage.

The mysterious, ancient tunnel found near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel on the outskirts of Jerusalem, May 14, 2026.

Heritage Minister taps INEXTG CEO Esther Shreiber for next IAA director, first woman in role

Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government. 

INEXTG CEO Esti Shrieber, tapped to be the next director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

US returns two rare, ancient coins to Israel following joint antiquities theft investigation

One of the coins, depicting the Temple's seven-branched menorah, was minted in Hasmonean-ruled Jerusalem, while the other, the second of its kind ever found, was minted in ancient Ashkelon.

Hasmonean-era coin depicted the seven-branched menorah (L) and silver tetradrachm minted in Ashkelon during the Persian period (R) which were returned to Israel from the United States earlier this week, May 13, 2026.

Central-Eastern Europe's oldest Neanderthal group identified by DNA taken from teeth - study

Notably, three of the teeth - two belonging to children and one to an adult - taken from different sediment layers within the cave, all shared identical mitochondrial DNA.

 Neanderthal communities in prehistoric Europe. How were they linked? (Illustrative)

Knesset advances in first reading bill to form Israeli antiquities authority in West Bank

Should the bill pass, it would shift responsibility currently belonging to the Defense Ministry to the Heritage Ministry.

An Israeli flag is raised on the peak of Mount Sartaba in the Jordan Valley, February 23, 2026.