Archaeological study

Ancient humans precisely navigated northern Israel to find right stones for tools, study suggests

Basalt seemingly held special importance at GBY, particularly for producing large cutting tools like handaxes and cleavers. 

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A microscopic view of buried basalt from Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov. This image shows olivine basalt recovered from the Eshel Ya‘aqov borehole, examined as a thin section under polarized light to reveal its minerals and texture. Image taken under cross-polarized light (XPL); scale bar = 0.5 mm.
A cave in the Qumran area of the Dead Sea region.

Inside the tragic, decades-long mystery of Qumran's lost Second Temple incense

The vast majority of material was lost after a 2025 murder. All that remains is a small amount of dust collected from the floor and a few samples preserved by the Jones family.

|ByJOSH ARONSON
A fragment of a 2,000-year-old Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection; illustrative.

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls' greatest mysteries may have finally been solved by Israeli researcher

For decades, scholars have wondered if Qumran’s 364-day year calender had ever been used in practice or if it served only as a theoretical framework.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A fragment of a 2,000-year-old Psalms Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection; illustrative.

New AI-powered research project aims to uncover the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Research methods will include state-of-the-art chemical, artificial intelligence, paleographical, and codicological analysis of approximately 250 samples of the scrolls from the IAA's collection.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Newly discovered DNA changes previous speculation of Pompeii victims' final moments of life

A recent study has undermined prior assumptions about several victims of the Pompeii tragedy.

NOVEMBER 10, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Plaster cast of a Pompeii victim found in the ancient city

Ancient net fishing scenes discovered on 15,800-year-old stones in Germany

A plaquette previously showing a fish was found to include net-like lines. Seven others showed similar net-and-fish scenes.

NOVEMBER 7, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Air dried fish at ancient fisherman village at the banks of river Danube in Serbia.

Skeleton made from bones of five people across 2,500 years found in Belgium

The tomb, known as "Tomb 26," was unearthed in the 1970s during excavations of a cemetery in Pommerœul, near the French border.

NOVEMBER 6, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Archaeology dig in Halle, Belgium.

Colombian rancher finds largest known fossil of three-meters tall “Terror Bird” in Tatacoa Desert

Fossil bears tooth marks from giant crocodile, hinting at how the predator met its end.

NOVEMBER 5, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
“Terror Bird”. Illustration.

Archaeological mission discovers first Middle Kingdom tomb in South Asasif Necropolis

The excavation revealed a wealth of unique jewelry in the female burials, including necklaces, bracelets, chains, rings, and belts made from red agate, blue and green glazed ceramics, and faience.

NOVEMBER 3, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Mummified cat, Egypt, Beni Hassen, Middle Kingdom, 2040-1782 BC, site of Khnumhotep II, linen and pigments. Fitchburg Art Museum.

Hidden 4,000-year-old fortified town discovered in the Khaybar Oasis of Saudi Arabia

Al-Natah, occupied from 2400 to 1500 BCE, had about 500 residents and is the first of its kind for studying an ancient settlement in northwest Arabia.

OCTOBER 31, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Wadi Disah, Al Shaq canyon of Saudi Arabia.