Archaeology

Human hand outline may be oldest rock art in the world, researchers say

The 67,800-year-old reddish-colored stenciled image has become faded over time and is barely visible on a cave wall, but nonetheless embodies an early achievement of human creativity.

THE FAINT image of a hand stencil, a negative outline of a human hand created by placing a hand against a rock wall surface and spraying pigment paint around it, that has been dated to 67,800 years ago, in a limestone cave called Liang Metanduno on Muna.
The mandible of an archaic human who lived about 773 000 years ago is pictured after being excavated at a cave called Grotte a Hominides at a site known as Thomas Quarry I in the southwest part of the Moroccan city of Casablanca in this undated photograph released on January 7, 2026.

Fossils found in Moroccan cave may be a close Homo sapiens ancestor

US ambassador Mike Huckabee's family after finding coins in a Mateh Binyamin Regional Council cave, January 5, 2026.

'Grandpa, look what we found': Huckabee family uncovers ancient coins in West Bank caves

Archaeologists have uncovered a complex of ancient industrial workshops and part of a Roman-era necropolis in Egypt’s western Nile Delta.

Roman-era necropolis, ancient workshops unearthed in Egypt’s western Nile Delta


Ancient Christian settlement unearthed in Jordan, illuminating Middle East's religious past

Archaeologists uncovered the long-forgotten Byzantine settlement of Tharais.

One of the two statues uncovered by archaeologists in the southeastern Jordanian desert is pictured during a news conference in Amman, Jordan February 22, 2022.  (illustrative)

Ritual donkey sacrifice in Israel provides insights into ancient Egyptian trade

The donkeys, found buried under a Bronze Age house in ancient Gath, near Tell es-Safi, were determined to have originated from ancient Egypt.

 A decapitated donkey found in Tell es-Safi, south Israel, July 2025.

Ancient proteins found in fossils up to 24 million years old

Proteins, a cell's molecular machinery, also offer valuable information and have the virtue of surviving much longer, as new research shows.

 A paleontologist cleaning a skeleton during an archaeology dig; illustrative.

Opening of Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum gets postponed yet again

The grand opening of the GEM, which was set for July 3 – much delayed by revolutions, wars, financial crises, and the COVID pandemic – has been postponed yet again.

  A view of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, in April 2025.

Several walled oases uncovered in Saudi Arabia shed light on ancient community investment

Evidence suggests the walled oasis phenomenon began around 3000 BC at Tayma and Qurayyah and spread to the Harrat Khaybar region by the end of the third millennium BC.

 3D reconstruction of the Late Iron Age western enclosure in Dumat al-Jandal walled oasis

The Cyrus Cylinder: Archaeological treasure that connects Ancient Persia and the Jewish people

The Cyrus Cylinder is often considered the first charter of human rights, inscribed with the words of King Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.

 The Cyrus Cylinder in Room 52 of the British Museum in London.

Biblical archaeologists evacuated from Shiloh dig amid escalation with Iran

Despite the challenges, the excavation team remains resolute in its commitment to uncovering the past.

 Excavation team standing in front of Shiloh dig site.

Dead Sea Scrolls aged decades older by AI-powered discovery

“The implications are profound,” said Dr. Maruf Dhali, assistant professor of AI at Groningen and co‐author of the study.

 A fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls that underwent genetic sampling to shed light on the 2,000-year-old biblical trove is shown to Reuters at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) laboratory in Jerusalem June 2, 2020.

Prehistoric humans may have used fire to smoke meat one million years ago, study suggests

Over time, as the availability of large game declined, humans had to adapt to hunting smaller animals and using fire more consistently.

 Ran Barkai holds a segment of an ancient elephant at the La Polledrara site in Italy.

Beyond the headlines: After Shavuot, carrying the Torah forward - opinion

A weekly glimpse into the Israel you won’t read about in the news.

 The Western Wall plaza at the time of Birkat Kohanim.