Archaeology

Byzantine gold artifacts help archaeologists uncover past of ship wrecked off Croatian coast

His team, equipped with diving gear, has spent the past decade slowly uncovering the history of the ship, whose wreckage lies near the Adriatic island of Mljet.

Igor Miholjek, head of research, Croatian Conservation Institute, Department of Underwater Archaeology, shows the gold buckle decorated with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, which they found in a Byzantine shipwreck near Polace on the island of Mljet, Croatia, July 21, 2026.
The earliest surviving example of Homer’s Odyssey, July 21, 2026.

Oldest copy of Homer’s Odyssey in book form joins Christopher Nolan's film press tour

 Israelis visit the site of the ancient village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 22, 2019

‘Weaponization of cultural heritage’: Israel accuses PA of exploiting UNESCO in bid for Sebastia

The burnt wooden beams discovered in the City of David, July 20, 2026.

Days before Tisha B'Av: Charred wooden beams from First Temple’s destruction unearthed in Jerusalem


Mummy CT scan reveal ancient Egyptian might've suffered from osteoperosis

The discovery comes as part of an ongoing study using CT scans to order to analyze the remains of six different mummies, the oldest of which dates back approximately 2,300 year.

Krisztina Scheffer (MNMKK Semmelweis Museum of Medical History) and Dr. Ibolyka Dudás (OKK) holding the mummified head of an Egyptian woman, May 4, 2026.

IAA reveals new study focused on ancient Jerusalem bullae in honor of Israel Excellence Week

According to the IAA, the study aims to examine Jerusalem's administrative systems from the First Temple period through the end of the Second Temple period.

Ancient bullae found in Jerusalem, May 1, 2026.

Project to make Tel Hebron’s Second Temple mikveh accessible to visitors nearly complete, INPA says

Burda added that visitors to the site will be able to learn about the bath’s significance, its place within daily life, and “momentarily experience the religious and social reality of that era.”

Aerial photo of Tel Hebron's Second Temple period mikvah, April 30, 2026.

Collection of gold beads, amulets discovered during excavations on Greek island

All 32 of the items were found in excellent condition and believed to have belonged to a gold necklace or pendent.

Aerial photograph of the archaeological site of Kolona on Aegina, Greece, April 22, 2026.

Academics recover over 40 lost pages of a 6th-century New Testament manuscript

The New Testament manuscript, also known as Codex H, was lost in the 13th century after it was disassembled at the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos in northeastern Greece. 

Recovered page from the lost sixth century copy of the Letters of St. Paul, recovered by an international team of academics, April 30, 2026.

Turkish authorities reportedly seize gold Hebrew manuscript inscribed on python skin

Per Turkey Today, a foreign national, identified only as A.E., suspected of attempting to sell the manuscript on the black market, was detained by local units of Turkey’s Gendarmerie General Command.

The Hebrew manuscript inscribed in gold on python skin, displayed alongside its copper casing, at the Gaziantep Provincial Gendarmerie Command, April 24, 2026.

Finally returning home: American family repatriates five ancient artifacts to Greece

Mendoni expressed her gratitude to the Gray family for their decision to return the artifacts, noting that it “highlights the decisive role of citizens in the protection of cultural heritage.” 

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni with five artifacts returned to Greece by a family from Chicago, April 28, 2026.

Marble statue of Greek goddess Athena found hidden in rubble in Turkey's ancient city of Laodicea

Based on the statue's artistic style, archaeologists have dated it to the reign of the first Roman Emperor Augustus, who ruled between 27 BCE and 14 CE.

Marble statue of Athena found by archaeologists in Laodicea’s Western Theater near Denizli, Turkey, April 23, 2026.

Evidence of what may be world’s oldest cremation found in Ethiopia, new study reveals

The burnt bone fragments were one of three Homo sapien fossils discovered in the sediment of the Faro Daba beds in the Dawaitoli Formation.

Furnace of the type to be installed in the Pere la Chaise crematorium, Paris, 1888.

Italian archaeologists use AI to generate image of Pompeii victim for first time

It is based on the recent discovery of the remains of a male adult, just outside one of the southern gates of the city, lying next to a terracotta mortar that he presumably used as protection.

AI-generated image of man fleeing the eruption of  Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, April 27, 2026.