Archaeology

Study: Neanderthal-human interbreeding mostly male Neanderthals, female humans

Most people of non-African ancestry carry about 2% Neanderthal DNA, and researchers report a mirror image pattern with more human DNA on the Neanderthal X chromosome.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
World's oldest Neanderthal fingerprint found on 43,000-year-old pebble in Spain. Illustration.
London, England, General view of the British Museum with visitors, Bloomsbury, March 2025.

Real-life Indiana Jones: British Museum to hire ‘treasure hunter’ to find stolen artifacts - report

Since the original 2023 announcement of the theft, the museum has recovered 654 of these, the most significant of which was 268 gems returned all at once by the United States.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The Princess of Bagicz’s wooden coffin, accessed on February 27, 2026.

Ancient Polish 'princess' burial date revealed after decades of archaeological mystery - study

In 1899, the young woman’s coffin, made of a hollowed-out oak log, had tumbled from an eroding cliff above the Baltic coast village. She was nicknamed by locals as the “Princess of Bagicz.”

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Cone-shaped clay vessels, known as cornets, found across hundreds of sites in Israel and Jordan, February 27, 2026.

Israeli researchers crack century-old mystery of cone-shaped vessels found near Dead Sea - study

The fragments had been excavated from the Teleilat el-Ghassul archaeological site near the Dead Sea in Jordan between 1931 and 1938.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Rare half-shekel coin used in biblical census count discovered by archaeologists in Judean Desert

The survey is an ongoing project by the IAA meant to protect archaeological sites in the Judean Desert from looting and unauthorized excavations.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Rare half-shekel coin discovered in Judean Desert by the Israel Antiquities Authority, February 26, 2026.

‘Secrets of ancient Egypt’: Old Kingdom tombs, artifacts discovered on Nile's west bank

The tombs, discovered in the Qubbet el-Hawa site, were complete with shafts and burial chambers.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Pottery vessels, discovered alongside jewelry and other artifacts, inside Old Kingdom tombs at the Qubbet el-Hawa site in Aswan, Egypt, February 26, 2026.

CT scans unlock secrets of mummified Inca children ritually sacrificed over 500 years ago - study

Researchers examined four frozen mummies recovered from the Ampato and Sara Sara volcanoes in southern Peru during the 1990s using CT scans.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
The remains of one of the four children found by archeologists, buried in the Inca sanctuary of Pachacamac, in the coastal desert strip 30 km south of Lima. Picture taken on November 9, 2010.

Meet Britain's oldest Northerner: The ‘Ossick Lass' buried over 11,000 years ago - study

In addition to the Ossick Lass, the remains of at least seven other individuals had also recovered from the cave.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Rural landscape, Cumbria, Lake District, UK, February 25, 2026.

Experts use AI to crack mystery of 2,000-year-old Roman board game found in Netherlands - study

“This is the first time that AI-driven simulated play has been used in concert with archaeological methods to identify a board game,” Crist concluded. 

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A 2,000-year-old limestone slab found beneath the Dutch city of Heerlen, recently discovered to be a Roman era board game, February 23, 2026.

University of Haifa student discovers 12th century Crusader sword off of Israel’s northern coast

The sword was eventually transferred to Elisha Medical Center in Haifa for an advanced CT scan to examine the blade’s condition without causing it futher harm.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Ancient Crusader sword, dated to the 12th century CE, discovered off of Israel's Dor Beach in northern Israel, February 22, 2026.

Frescos of a peacock, fruit discovered in Roman villa near Pomepii belonging to Emperor Nero's wife

The discovery's announcement follow the site’s partial opening to the public for the first time. 

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A cat is seen during the excavation and restoration work underway on the exceptional frescoes in the Hall of the Mask and the Peacock, one of the most refined rooms of the Villa of Poppaea at Oplontis, Torre Annunziata, Italy on February 12, 2026.

New dating of Jordan Valley site rewrites timeline of human migration from Africa - study

Researchers used three different methods to date the site, challenging the preexisting notion of the site being between 1.2 and 1.6 million years old.

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
A bifacial stone tool from ‘Ubeidiya, February 20, 2026.

A Jerusalem gem: Rediscovering the Rockefeller Museum’s treasures in Israel's capital

New tours of the Rockefeller Museum showcase artifacts ranging from First Temple-period jewelry to Egyptian pharaohs.

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByBEN BRESKY
Front entrance to Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum, opened in 1938.

Suspect charged for stealing Egyptian artifacts from Australia museum, citing church ties - report

The stolen artifacts included a 26th Dynasty rare painted wooden Egyptian cat figure, a 3,300-year-old necklace, a collar, and a mummy mask.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
An ancient Egyptian collar stolen from the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture, Australia, February 20, 2026.