Archaeological Site

Israel's security zone in southern Lebanon includes the medieval Beaufort Castle as well as centuries-old villages that were home to Christians, Shi'ite Muslims, and Sunni Muslims.

The stone, known also as a massebah, was discovered during excavations of the First Temple era site, inside a large residence named by archaeologists as "Building 101," or the Governor's Residency.

The blackened, fragile scrolls cannot be physically opened without severe damage. Researchers have instead used high-resolution scans and computational techniques to "virtually unwrap" them.

Tours of synagogues and meetings with religious leaders highlight renewed interest in Jewish history and unresolved questions over historic sites, property, and diaspora ties.

Researchers explained that when bones exposed to high levels of heat are illuminated with specific light wavelengths, they light up with a distinctive glow.

The stream valley lies between the villages of Sleen and Oosterhesselen, and is currently under redevelopment to make space for nature and water. 

The work, which includes genetic analyses, dating, and material studies, began in 2024 and will continue until May 2027 as part of the monastery’s 700th anniversary celebrations.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” added Oren and Reiss. “It was very unexpected, but somehow, the really big discoveries always turn up on the excavation’s very last day.”

Archaeologists have also uncovered the foundations of houses and rooms belonging to a Roman villa used between the 3rd century BCE and the 4th century CE.

Several painted plaster and barrel-shaped pottery coffin, among those most common coffin types in the Ptolemaic period,  were also found at the site.