Archaeology

WATCH: Norway recovers Chinese porcelain, European-made goods from 18th century shipwreck

The ship, coined "The Porcelain Wreck," is believed to have sunk around the mid-1700s, and was found at a depth of some 600 meters, the museum said. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM, REUTERS
Chinese porcelain discovered in 18th century shipwreck in Norway, June 3, 2026.
Twelve-year-old Alon Horwitz who discovered an ancient gemstone at Korazim National Park in the Galilee, June 1, 2026.

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.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
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

Aside from a smaller fortification present at the site of the current Beaufort Castle, little else is known about the site prior to its capture by the Crusader forces.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
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

Dental microwear analysis, which allows for the microscopic study of surface textures, confirmed that the marks were made after the animals' deaths, ruling out chewing or dietary wear and tear.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Hunting for stolen history: Inside Israel’s fight to recover its looted past

Israel’s antiquities watchdog is battling black-market theft, forgery, and a global trade that strips history of its story

MARCH 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Visitors to the Israel Antiquities Authority’s new center in Jerusalem look at items such as jewelery, makeup brushes, and weapons that had been stolen by antiquities thieves.

From dust to data: How technology is transforming Israeli archaeology

Israel’s archaeologists are harnessing artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cutting-edge science to transform how the past is uncovered – and understood

MARCH 24, 2026BySHLOMO CESANA
Multispectral imaging uses different wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet and infrared rays to better decipher faded or damaged writing on ancient manuscripts.

Beneath Jerusalem: The Pilgrimage Road reopens an ancient path

A newly unveiled 1st-century route from the Pool of Siloam to the Western Wall offers a powerful encounter with history – and sparks modern-day tensions in Jerusalem

MARCH 24, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Inside the Pilgrimage Road

'Heritage as a weapon': How West Bank digs became a tool of dispossession - opinion

How archaeology in the West Bank has become a battleground over sovereignty, heritage, and international law

MARCH 24, 2026ByRAFAEL GREENBERG
A Palestinian archaeologist works on a lead sarcophagus discovered in Gaza City in early 2022. A common Israeli claim is that Palestinians have ‘no interest’ in antiquities.

Israel abandoned its heritage under Oslo - now it's paying the price - opinion

UNESCO battles, abandoned sites, and a renewed national plan force Israel to confront its responsibility to Jewish heritage

MARCH 24, 2026ByMOSHE GUTMAN
Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, situated outside of Israeli territory, is under threat of being erased by new construction plans.

Palestinian Authority accelerates heritage campaign as West Bank tensions rise

From museum reopenings to bids for UNESCO recognition, the Palestinian Authority is prioritizing archaeology and identity 

MARCH 24, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON
Palestinian children play in a Roman-era fountain in Battir, a village in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.

Ancient sites, modern stakes: The fight to own the West Bank's past - from the editor

As fighting rages, another battle unfolds in the West Bank – over history, heritage, and identity, where competing claims to the past are shaping the future

MARCH 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
As the current war wages, Israelis and Palestinians battle over ancient narratives.

60,000-year-old ostrich eggshells reveal humanity’s first brush with geometry

Archaeologist Silvia Ferrara described the organization of lines by recurring principles—parallelisms, grids, rotations, and systematic repetitions—as an embryonic visual grammar.

MARCH 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
60,000-year-old ostrich eggshells.

Palestinian doctor arrested for smuggling Second Temple-period coins from West Bank to Jerusalem

Trading in antiquities and bringing antiquities from the West Bank into Israel without a permit as well as searching for antiquities without a license using a metal detector are criminal offenses.

MARCH 23, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Coins seized by Border Police from vehicle of Palestinian doctor after attempted smuggling into Israel, March 23, 2026.

Ancient graffiti in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings proves presence of Indian tourists 2,000 years ago

According to the researchers, the inscriptions’ discovery is not new. Early Egyptologists noticed them, but did not know what language they’d been written in and were unable to translate.

MARCH 21, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Screengrab of Indian graffiti in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt, March 20, 2026.