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archaeology

2,000-year-old coin with earliest menorah image returned to Israel after seized in US
By Rossella Tercatin
Joint operation also sees return of 2,500-year-old silver coin, one of two known examples in the world, as officials stress importance of international cooperation to combat looting
Workers keep flat the restored floor of the ancient theater built by Herod the Great between 23-15 BCE in the Judaean desert, southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank, on December 7, 2020. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)
June 2, 2026, 11:07 pm
Netanyahu said to halt progress of controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill
Legislation to create new authority under the Heritage Ministry, opposed by IDF and many archaeologists, was pitched by sponsors as a step toward annexation
By Rossella Tercatin
Six grader Alon Horowitz finds a rare 'Nicolo' stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during a community excavation at Korazim National Park, in a discovery announced on June 1, 2026. (Korazim excavation team/Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
June 1, 2026, 6:00 am
12-year-old finds ancient gemstone in Galilean Jewish village cursed by Jesus
Sixth-grader Alon Horowitz finds rare ‘Nicolo’ stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during community excavation at Korazim National Park
By Rossella Tercatin
Minister of Heritage Amichay Eliyahu (left), in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026; Esti Shreiber (right), who was tapped as the new head of the Israel Antiquities Authority on May 12, 2026. On May 27, 2026, close to 60 archaeologists petitioned the High Court of Justice to block her appointment. (Left: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; Right: Flash photography)
May 29, 2026, 2:37 am
Archaeologists petition High Court to block appointment of new antiquities authority chief
Petition deepens rift between academics and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, who have been at loggerheads over a controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, in cooperation with the staff officer of archaeology, excavated the site of Sartaba/Alexandrium in the Jordan Valley in February 2025. (Yodan Flaytman, staff officer for archaeology in Judea and Samaria)
May 24, 2026, 7:09 pm
West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill breaks Israel’s international obligations – legal official
As Knesset committee gears up to bring legislation for final votes in plenum, panel’s legal adviser warns it reinforces ‘creeping annexation’ claims; army also opposes it
By Rossella Tercatin
Israelis visit the site of the ancient village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 22, 2019, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. (Hillel Maeir/Flash90)
May 21, 2026, 3:02 am
West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill advances as government okays $86 million heritage plan
Knesset committee working to finish controversial legislation, which critics say would mark an unprecedented step toward annexation, for final votes in the plenum on Sunday
By Rossella Tercatin
Prof. Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University holds a segment of an ancient elephant at the La Polledrara site in Italy in an undated picture. (Tel Aviv University)
May 20, 2026, 10:07 pm
Smaller prey, not bigger brains, drove prehistoric tech revolution, Israeli researchers say
New study by Tel Aviv University scientists posits disappearance of megaherbivors in the Levant drove humans to develop smaller, more sophisticated tools 200,000 years ago
By Rossella Tercatin
The archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank, in a handout photo issued on November 20, 2025. (COGAT)
May 19, 2026, 9:28 am
Knesset panel fast-tracks West Bank antiquities bill seen as de facto annexation
Legislation aims to create new civilian body beyond Green Line, as heritage minister pushes to appoint ideological ally with limited experience to run Israel Antiquities Authority
By Rossella Tercatin
An aerial view of the Ein Hatzeva archaeological site south of the Dead Sea in an undated picture. A new study published in the journal Levant on April 27, 2026, suggests that the ancient fortress at the site was built by the biblical kingdom of Israel in the first half of the 8th century BCE and not by the Assyrian empire as previously thought. (Asaf Peretz/ Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 16, 2026, 7:51 am
How ancient seeds are rewriting the history of biblical-era trade with Arabia
New radiocarbon dating of Ein Hatzeva fortress on ancient trade route in the Arava suggests it was built 2,800 years ago by the Kingdom of Israel, shoring up Bible’s account
By Rossella Tercatin
A rare 2,000-year-old coin bearing the earliest known depiction of the Temple’s menorah was returned to the State of Israel on May 12, 2026, after a joint investigation by the US authorities and the Israel Antiquities Authority. (Eitan Klein/Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 14, 2026, 4:43 pm
2,000-year-old coin with earliest menorah image returned to Israel after seized in US
Joint operation also sees return of 2,500-year-old silver coin, one of two known examples in the world, as officials stress importance of international cooperation to combat looting
By Rossella Tercatin
A mysterious tunnel, hewn through the rock over a length of some 50 meters and likely hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, was unearthed near the Ramat Rachel neighborhood in Jerusalem in a discovery announced on May 14, 2026. (Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 14, 2026, 4:26 pm
Mysterious ancient tunnel, possibly thousands of years old, discovered in Jerusalem
Dating and purpose of structure near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel still not clear; archaeologists say its construction required significant resources and manpower
By Rossella Tercatin
View of the ancient archaeological site of Sebastia, near the West Bank city of Nablus, May 12, 2025. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
May 12, 2026, 1:59 am
Knesset advances controversial West Bank antiquity bill in first reading
Legislation’s critics maintain it amounts to de facto annexation, while supporters say it is necessary to preserve territory’s unique heritage
By Rossella Tercatin
Eight-year-old Dor Wolynitz finds a 1700-year-old figurine fragment while hiking in the Negev, in a discovery announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority on May 11, 2026. (Akiva Goldenhersh/Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 11, 2026, 12:05 pm
Eight-year-old boy finds 1,700-year-old statuette fragment while hiking in Negev
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist says the artifact might depict Roman god Jupiter
By Rossella Tercatin
A group of scientists extracted the DNA from the remains of 10,000 individuals from archaeological excavations across Europe and the Middle East. The study, published in Nature on April 15, 2026, shed unprecedented light on human evolution. Illustrative: Archeologists in an ancient cemetery with dozens of skeletons in Florence, Italy, on February 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Francesco Bellini)
April 24, 2026, 8:35 am
New secrets of human evolution unlocked in study of ancient DNA from Europe and Near East
Scientists analyze 22,000 genomes documenting hundreds of genetic changes due to natural selection over the past 10,000 years, including variants linked to celiac disease and multiple sclerosis
By Rossella Tercatin
A general view of the excavation of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov Acheulian site in northern Israel dating to some 780,000 years ago. (GBY Expedition)
April 22, 2026, 4:12 pm
Rare ancient charcoal shows how prehistoric ‘Israelis’ were already grilling 780,000 years ago
A new study testifies to how hominins at Gesher Benot Ya’akov took advantage of their environment to fuel fires, showing advanced cognitive abilities
By Rossella Tercatin
The site of Tel Hazor (Upper Galilee) in the area of the Lower City in July 2023. (Courtesy Ben Siegel/Ohio University and the Hazor Lower City Excavations)
April 16, 2026, 6:04 am
Shepherds without borders: In biblical Israel’s war zone, flocks traversed contested lands
Study of 3,000-year-old animal teeth from Tel Hazor in the Upper Galilee shows herds moved between warring Israel and Aram, shedding light on ancient boundaries’ permeability
By Rossella Tercatin
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