Archaeology

Prehistoric children’s remains show syphilis-like disease spread through ancient Vietnam - study

Researchers have for decades believed that of these diseases, only syphilis could be transmitted congenitally, lending to the assumption that syphilis began with Christopher Columbus’ journeys.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Dr. Melandri Vlok and Ms. Minh Tran conducting radiographic analysis on child skeletons from Man Bac, April 11, 2026.
Incense burner found in Pompeii, containing residue of local plants and imported resin, April 7, 2026.

Ashes of Pompeii: New study confirms ancient city's role within Rome’s global trade route

Remnants of a “grape-derived product” was also found within one of the burners, the study noted, consistent with literary and artistic depictions of wine being used for ritual purpose in Rome.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Ruins of mudbrick buildings on the northern mound of Buto, April 7, 2026.

How archaeologists used technology to rediscover ancient Egyptian city on the Nile Delta - study

The site holds three prominent mounds, known as Koms A, B, and C, with Kom C selected for investigation due to its history spanning the Predynastic period through the Early Islamic era.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
3D scan of cylinder found in ancient city of Kish, Iraq, bearing inscriptions believed to have belonged to Nebuchadnezzar II, April 11, 2026.

Clay cylinders found in Iraq bear writings of Babylonian king who besieged Jerusalem, study reveals

The translation appears to align with a description of Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel, which depicts him walking on his palace roof in Babylon while boasting of his construction projects.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Israel's Heritage Minister: Palestinians destroying archaeological sites like ISIS did in Syria

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu on archaeology, sovereignty, and the battle over history in Judea and Samaria

MARCH 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu plants a flag at the archaeological site Sartaba in Judea and Samaria.

Hunting for stolen history: Inside Israel’s fight to recover its looted past

Israel’s antiquities watchdog is battling black-market theft, forgery, and a global trade that strips history of its story

MARCH 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Visitors to the Israel Antiquities Authority’s new center in Jerusalem look at items such as jewelery, makeup brushes, and weapons that had been stolen by antiquities thieves.

From dust to data: How technology is transforming Israeli archaeology

Israel’s archaeologists are harnessing artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cutting-edge science to transform how the past is uncovered – and understood

MARCH 24, 2026BySHLOMO CESANA
Multispectral imaging uses different wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet and infrared rays to better decipher faded or damaged writing on ancient manuscripts.

Beneath Jerusalem: The Pilgrimage Road reopens an ancient path

A newly unveiled 1st-century route from the Pool of Siloam to the Western Wall offers a powerful encounter with history – and sparks modern-day tensions in Jerusalem

MARCH 24, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Inside the Pilgrimage Road

'Heritage as a weapon': How West Bank digs became a tool of dispossession - opinion

How archaeology in the West Bank has become a battleground over sovereignty, heritage, and international law

MARCH 24, 2026ByRAFAEL GREENBERG
A Palestinian archaeologist works on a lead sarcophagus discovered in Gaza City in early 2022. A common Israeli claim is that Palestinians have ‘no interest’ in antiquities.

Israel abandoned its heritage under Oslo - now it's paying the price - opinion

UNESCO battles, abandoned sites, and a renewed national plan force Israel to confront its responsibility to Jewish heritage

MARCH 24, 2026ByMOSHE GUTMAN
Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, situated outside of Israeli territory, is under threat of being erased by new construction plans.

Palestinian Authority accelerates heritage campaign as West Bank tensions rise

From museum reopenings to bids for UNESCO recognition, the Palestinian Authority is prioritizing archaeology and identity 

MARCH 24, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON
Palestinian children play in a Roman-era fountain in Battir, a village in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem.

Ancient sites, modern stakes: The fight to own the West Bank's past - from the editor

As fighting rages, another battle unfolds in the West Bank – over history, heritage, and identity, where competing claims to the past are shaping the future

MARCH 24, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
As the current war wages, Israelis and Palestinians battle over ancient narratives.

60,000-year-old ostrich eggshells reveal humanity’s first brush with geometry

Archaeologist Silvia Ferrara described the organization of lines by recurring principles—parallelisms, grids, rotations, and systematic repetitions—as an embryonic visual grammar.

MARCH 23, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
60,000-year-old ostrich eggshells.

Palestinian doctor arrested for smuggling Second Temple-period coins from West Bank to Jerusalem

Trading in antiquities and bringing antiquities from the West Bank into Israel without a permit as well as searching for antiquities without a license using a metal detector are criminal offenses.

MARCH 23, 2026ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
Coins seized by Border Police from vehicle of Palestinian doctor after attempted smuggling into Israel, March 23, 2026.