August 18, 2017
12:14 pm

The ritual baths of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius, excavated by a team of Israeli, American and Lithuanian archaeologists, summer 2017. (John Seligman/IAA)

Archaeologists uncover the heart of Nazi-razed Vilnius synagogue

Discovery of ritual baths adds another dimension to reconstruct daily life of slaughtered community known as the ‘Jerusalem of Lithuania’

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

August 10, 2017
11:51 am

Dr. Yonatan Adler on-site at the stone quarry and tool production center excavations at Reina in Lower Galilee. (Samuel Magal/IAA)

2,000-year-old stone workshop discovered near where Jesus turned water into wine

Because it was immune to ritual impurity, the use of stoneware was rife among Jews during the Roman era

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

August 9, 2017
10:44 pm

Illustrative: An ultra-Orthodox man examines a citron (etrog) in Jerusalem (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

As Italy’s citron crop fails, an archaeologist looks to fruit’s 2,500-year history in Israel

After a disastrous frost that looks to wipe out the majority of this year’s etrog yield, Chabad Jewry braces for a crisis ahead of the Feast of Tabernacles

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

August 7, 2017
2:20 pm

Dueling Bethsaida excavations: (clockwise from top left) Bronze coin from e-Tell, team member at el-Araj, mosaics found at el-Araj, city gate at e-Tell excavation site. (courtesy)

Sites vie to be seen as Christianity’s ‘lost’ city of Bethsaida

Seeking the location of a myriad of New Testament miracles, excavations in area of important Second Temple-era town uncover conflicting finds

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

August 4, 2017
6:29 pm

Biblical characters that Lawrence Mykytiuk claims to have verified. Clockwise, from left: Sargon II; Cuneiform prism describing the restoration of Babylon by Esarhaddon; a relief of King Sennacherib from his palace in Nineveh; Tiglath-pileser III from the palace at Nimrud. (Public domain)

Researcher gives seal of approval to 53 biblical characters’ existence

Lawrence Mykytiuk looks for ancient personalities who have made an impression — be it on a signet ring or a monument

By Rich Tenorio

July 31, 2017
9:37 pm

Visitors wait at the entrance of the Flagellation Monastery, off the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem's Old City, for the Archaeology and Multimedia exhibition. (courtesy)

Travel back in time at this secret cool oasis in Jerusalem’s Old City

The first stage of the 100-year-old Terra Sancta Museum’s reboot offers a multi-media tour of the holy city from a Christian perspective

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 28, 2017
4:30 am

Burial of individual analyzed in the Canaanite study, from about 1600 BC. (Dr. Claude Doumet-Serhal/Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)

The Canaanites weren’t annihilated, they just ‘moved’ to Lebanon

A UK-based study of ancient genomes finds Canaanites form over 90% of modern Lebanese ancestry, a trait they share with ancient Israelites

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 26, 2017
3:37 pm

The structure in which shattered jugs were found during the summer 2017 Israel Antiquities Authority dig, attesting to the destruction. (Eliyahu Yanai, Courtesy of the City of David Archive)

Finds in Jerusalem shore up biblical account of Babylonian conquest

On the eve of the Hebrew commemoration of the destruction of the Temples, archaeologists discover remnants of a blaze indicating the city was grander than thought

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 26, 2017
1:15 pm

One of the four ritual baths found at the Galilee's Magdala dig site, which are the earliest ever discovered in the country to use ground water. (courtesy)

New finds suggest Second Temple priests who fled the Romans kept up holy rituals in the Galilee

After seven years of excavations at Magdala, four rare ritual baths and a unique carved stone point to importance of ancient fishing town to priestly class

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 25, 2017
12:58 pm

Digging in the ancient 1,600-year-old wine press in Ramat Negev, summer 2017. (Tali Gini, Israel Antiquities Authority)

1,600 years ago, soldiers may have quaffed wine from this desert press

A large Byzantine-era wine press uncovered in the Negev region is only the second of its kind to be found

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 20, 2017
4:35 pm

Dozens of students participated in the summer 2017 Rosh Ha'ayin dig. (Daniel Weinberger, IAA)

Israeli high schoolers excavate 2,700-year-old water system

Etchings of human figures, crosses, and depictions of vegetation found on walls of ancient Rosh Ha’ayin reservoir

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 19, 2017
11:49 am

A skeleton of an adult from 3,200 years ago, found at Tel Gezer. (Tandy Institute for Archaeology)

Biblical account of Gezer’s destruction gains ground with torched skeleton finds

The Gezer Excavation Project’s final season matches religious narrative with other archaeological evidence that could prove biblical connection to site

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 19, 2017
1:06 am

The 'smiley pot' was discovered by a team led by Nicolo Marchetti, an archeology professor at the University of Bologna, during excavations in Turkey's Gaziantep province alongside the Syria border. (courtesy)

History’s ‘oldest smile’ found on 4,000-year-old pot in Turkey

Cheerful artifact from 1,700 BCE discovered near border with war-torn Syria, at the site of a famous biblical battle where Lawrence of Arabia once dug

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 17, 2017
2:29 pm

Dr. Scott Stripling, head of the current excavation at biblical Shiloh, exhibits a find. May 22, 2017. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/Times of Israel)

With Bibles and shovels, a search for the biblical tabernacle gathers pace at Shiloh

New excavation by a Christian team uncovers intriguing finds at the site where Bible says the tabernacle and Ark rested for almost 400 years

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

July 10, 2017
8:16 am

The bronze cannons as found at sea and decorative elements of cannon C after cleaning (E. Galili)

Cannons found off Israeli coast may have been used to fight 16th-century pirates

Scientists research unique bronze weaponry from Megadim, made in Venice during the ‘Age of Sail’

By Amanda Borschel-Dan

Topic: archaeology

Archaeologists uncover the heart of Nazi-razed Vilnius synagogue

Discovery of ritual baths adds another dimension to reconstruct daily life of slaughtered community known as the ‘Jerusalem of Lithuania’

2,000-year-old stone workshop discovered near where Jesus turned water into wine

Because it was immune to ritual impurity, the use of stoneware was rife among Jews during the Roman era

As Italy’s citron crop fails, an archaeologist looks to fruit’s 2,500-year history in Israel

After a disastrous frost that looks to wipe out the majority of this year’s etrog yield, Chabad Jewry braces for a crisis ahead of the Feast of Tabernacles

Sites vie to be seen as Christianity’s ‘lost’ city of Bethsaida

Seeking the location of a myriad of New Testament miracles, excavations in area of important Second Temple-era town uncover conflicting finds

Researcher gives seal of approval to 53 biblical characters’ existence

Lawrence Mykytiuk looks for ancient personalities who have made an impression — be it on a signet ring or a monument

Travel back in time at this secret cool oasis in Jerusalem’s Old City

The first stage of the 100-year-old Terra Sancta Museum’s reboot offers a multi-media tour of the holy city from a Christian perspective

The Canaanites weren’t annihilated, they just ‘moved’ to Lebanon

A UK-based study of ancient genomes finds Canaanites form over 90% of modern Lebanese ancestry, a trait they share with ancient Israelites

Finds in Jerusalem shore up biblical account of Babylonian conquest

On the eve of the Hebrew commemoration of the destruction of the Temples, archaeologists discover remnants of a blaze indicating the city was grander than thought

New finds suggest Second Temple priests who fled the Romans kept up holy rituals in the Galilee

After seven years of excavations at Magdala, four rare ritual baths and a unique carved stone point to importance of ancient fishing town to priestly class

1,600 years ago, soldiers may have quaffed wine from this desert press

A large Byzantine-era wine press uncovered in the Negev region is only the second of its kind to be found

Israeli high schoolers excavate 2,700-year-old water system

Etchings of human figures, crosses, and depictions of vegetation found on walls of ancient Rosh Ha’ayin reservoir

Biblical account of Gezer’s destruction gains ground with torched skeleton finds

The Gezer Excavation Project’s final season matches religious narrative with other archaeological evidence that could prove biblical connection to site

History’s ‘oldest smile’ found on 4,000-year-old pot in Turkey

Cheerful artifact from 1,700 BCE discovered near border with war-torn Syria, at the site of a famous biblical battle where Lawrence of Arabia once dug

With Bibles and shovels, a search for the biblical tabernacle gathers pace at Shiloh

New excavation by a Christian team uncovers intriguing finds at the site where Bible says the tabernacle and Ark rested for almost 400 years

Cannons found off Israeli coast may have been used to fight 16th-century pirates

Scientists research unique bronze weaponry from Megadim, made in Venice during the ‘Age of Sail’

Latest Articles

Latest Blogs

The Times of Israel on Facebook