Israel Antiquities Authority

Heritage Minister taps INEXTG CEO Esther Shreiber for next IAA director, first woman in role

Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government. 

INEXTG CEO Esti Shrieber, tapped to be the next director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Hasmonean-era coin depicted the seven-branched menorah (L) and silver tetradrachm minted in Ashkelon during the Persian period (R) which were returned to Israel from the United States earlier this week, May 13, 2026.

US returns two rare, ancient coins to Israel following joint antiquities theft investigation

An Israeli flag is raised on the peak of Mount Sartaba in the Jordan Valley, February 23, 2026.

Knesset advances in first reading bill to form Israeli antiquities authority in West Bank

Eight-year-old Dor Wolynitz with the over 1,700-year-old statuette fragment he found in the Ramon Crater area, May 11, 2026.

Eight-year-old boy visiting Ramon Crater finds over 1,700-year-old statue fragment hidden in rocks


Second Temple workshop found on Israel's Mount Scopus during investigation into antiquities thieves

The workshop was discovered at the Ras Tamim archaeological site on the eastern slope of Mount Scopus. 

Newly discovered limestone shards and vessels on display in the new "Criminal Past" exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, February 16, 2026.

Stone seal from biblical Kingdom of Judea discovered during construction in northern Israel

The seal, which is made of a light brown gemstone, is thought by archaeologists to have been “hung like a necklace around its owner’s neck,” and decoratively divided into three. 

An 8th century stone seal believed to have belong to a high-ranking official of the biblical Kingdom of Judah. The inscription reads: “Belonging to Makhach (son of) Amihai." Picture released on February 12, 2026.

Police sieze ancient coins, stolen medical device from east Jerusalem resident

The suspect, an east Jerusalem resident who was in possession of the coins and stolen equipment, was arrested after failing to comply with police calls.

Ancient coin confiscated by Israel Police.

Caesarea’s Roman-era aqueduct to undergo multi-million shekel preservation, restoration project

Preservation efforts have already begun, Israel Antiquities Authority noted, adding that the project is expected to take about 40 months (nearly three and a half years). 

Israelis and tourists enjoy the beach near the 2,000-year-old Caesarea aqueduct, in Caesarea on August 21, 2023.

Ancient Pilgrimage Road leading to Temple Mount opens to public after 13 years of excavations

Archaeologists say the stepped street served as Jerusalem’s main thoroughfare for pilgrims during the Second Temple period.

Opening of the Pilgrim's Road in Jerusalem, on September 16, 2025.

New archaeology exhibit marks 60 years of Knesset building with rare finds from Jerusalem, Galilee

The event hosted more than 2,000 visitors, including soldiers, police officers, Holocaust survivors, and students from schools and kindergartens across the country.

The new exhibition at the Knesset, February 3, 2026.

Police seize hundreds of ancient, counterfeit coins in east Jerusalem antiquities raid

The collection, hidden in a flowerpot on the suspect's balcony, included coins from the Hasmonean, Herodian, and Roman periods, the IAA said.

Ancient and counterfeit coins seized by Israel Antiquities Authority in East Jeruusalem raid, February 2, 2026.

Israel uncovers Second Temple-period mikveh beneath Western Wall

The ritual bath was found sealed beneath a layer of destruction dated to 70 CE, in which researchers found burned ash and numerous artifacts that offer a snapshot of life just before the city fell.

THE RITUAL purification bath (mikveh) from the Second Temple period.

Israeli AI, drone imagery revolutionizing mapping of archaeological sites

“Sites that appear on the surface as scattered stones suddenly become coherent, organized spaces, and it saves a lot of research time,” Dr. Yitzchak Jaffe said.

Drone imagery of an archaeological site.

Ancient lead menorah pendant sheds light on Jewish presence in Byzantine Jerusalem

Cast almost entirely of lead, the pendant is decorated on both sides with an identical image of a menorah framed within a circular border.

AN ANCIENT menorah pendant from the Byzantine period, found in Jerusalem.