Archaeological News

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest depictions of a menorah, the seven-branched candelabra that has come to symbolize Judaism, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Friday. The menorah was engraved in stone around 2,000 years ago and found in a synagogue recently discovered by the Sea of Galilee. Pottery, coins and tools found at the site indicate the synagogue dates to the period of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem, where the actual menorah was kept, said archaeologist Dina Avshalom-Gorni of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The artist might have seen the menorah during a pilgrimage and then recreated it in the synagogue, she ... Read Full Story

Israeli archaeologists say they have uncovered the oldest example of massive fortifications ever found in Jerusalem. The Israel Antiquities Authority says the 3,700-year-old wall was built by the ancient Canaanites as a protected passage from a hilltop fortress to a spring. Excavation director Ronny Reich says this is the first time such significant construction has been discovered from before the time of the monumental building projects of King Herod 2,000 years ago. The 26-foot-high wall is part of the fortification that archaeologists believe protected the city's Canaanite residents from marauders. Reich said Wednesday a 79-foot section of the wall has been uncovered, and more ... Read Full Story

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered an ancient quarry where they believe King Herod extracted stones for the construction of the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday. The archaeologists believe the 1,000-square-foot (100-square-meter) quarry was part of a much larger network of quarries used by Herod in the city. The biggest stones extracted from the quarry would have measured three yards (meters) long, two yards (meters) across, and two yards (meters) high. The archaeologists said the size of the stones indicates they could have been used in the construction of the Temple compound, including the Western Wall, a retaining wall that ... Read Full Story

Israel on Tuesday announced a drive to register the country's private antiquities collections, saying this should lead to important "discoveries" of artefacts hidden from public view. "We call on members of the public that hold pieces of history to assist us in gathering the archaeological information, which is part of the whole puzzle that makes up our past," the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement. "The campaign is likely to result in a flood of important archaeological discoveries that are today hidden behind closed doors," said Amir Ganor who is leading the drive. Israel is one of the world's richest countries in archaeological ... Read Full Story

Israeli archaeologists have found the 1,700-year footprints of people working on a mosaic during the times that the Romans were ruling the region. The imprints of bare feet and sandals - sized 34, 37, 42 and 44 - were discovered under the Lod Mosaic, one of the largest and best-preserved mosaic floors ever discovered in Israel. The mosaic floor is believed to be part of a villa that belonged to a wealthy man from the 4th century AD. At the time, what is now Israel and the Palestinian areas was part of the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman Empire. It was first discovered in 1996 ... Read Full Story