Tag Archive for Israel Antiquities Authority

Incredible Byzantine church of Marble, mosaics & glass windows discovered

It is unknown to whom the 1,500 yr-old structure near Jerusalem is dedicated to, but its size & rich trappings of the most complete collection of Byzantine glass windows and lanterns ever found in one excavation site leads archaeologists to believe it was a popular pilgrimage site, until it was abandoned in the 9th century CE.

By Ynet, Agencies

 

Israeli archaeologists this week revealed the elaborately decorated Byzantine church dedicated to an anonymous martyr that was recently uncovered near Jerusalem.

The Israel Antiquities Authority showcased some of the finds from the nearly 1,500-year-old structure, whose compound covers around one third of an acre, after three years of excavations. Continue Reading »

Archaeologists in Israel announce location of biblical city of Ziklag

The Philistine town of Ziklag may have been found near the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat, where a team of Israeli & Australian archaeologists think they have located the biblical city where young David hid from King Saul prior to traveling to Hebron, where he was anointed King of Israel.

By JNS, Israel Hayom Staff

 

The Israeli Antiquities Authority, Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Macquarie University of Sydney, Australia, have announced the discovery of what they believe is the biblical city of Ziklag, the Philistine city in which according to the Bible the young David took refuge from King Saul. Continue Reading »

Schoolboys find 1,600 yr-old gold coin on Galilee field trip

Eagle-eyed students received a special citation from Israel’s Antiquities Authority after turning in a found gold coin bearing the image of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, who abolished Sanhedrin in the Land of Israel, forcing the Jewish leadership to be exiled to Babylon.

By Itay Blumenthal

 

A group of Israeli schoolboys stumbled across a shiny coin on a field trip, only to discover that it was 1,600 years old and the first such find in the country. What’s more, the coin bore the face of the man who abolished the contemporaneous Jewish leadership in the Land of Israel.

The four ninth-graders from the Jezreel Valley, Ido Kadosh, Ofir Siegel, Dotan Miller and Harel Green, found the coin during a school trip and immediately realized that they had something special and informed their teacher, Zohar Prishian. Continue Reading »

“Servant of the King” seal unearthed in City of David

Once again, the archaeological find of yet another unearthed artifact not only supports Jerusalem to be an ancient Jewish city, it corroborate the accounts written in the Holy Bible.

By David Lazarus

 

A Rare and Exciting Discovery: A 2,600-year-old seal with impression bearing the words: “belongs to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King.”

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reports that the seal was excavated in the City of David along the south-eastern slopes of the Temple Mount and is dated to the First Temple period.

The name Nathan-Melech appears only once in the Bible, in II Kings 23:11, where he is described as an official in the court of King Josiah, who participated in a cleansing of the Temple precincts that King Josiah initiated. Continue Reading »

Egyptian and church officials upset after Police subdue Monk in Jerusalem

Police and Coptic priests scuffle outside Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher in protest of planned restoration work; Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemns behavior of Israel Police officers’ handling of the incident.

By AP

 

A scuffle between police forces and Coptic priests at a major Christian holy site in Jerusalem on Wednesday drew condemnation from Egypt and churches in the Holy Land.

Police and Coptic priests wrangled outside a contested chapel at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Israel Police contain rowdy Coptic priests protesting outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Continue Reading »

Rare, 2000+ year-old gold earring unearthed in the City of David, Jerusalem

The dazzling golden earring, definitely worn by someone from ancient Jerusalem‘s upper class, dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century BCE, during the Hellenistic period.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

A Hellenistic-era golden earring, featuring ornamentation of a horned animal, was discovered in the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David National Park encircling walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.

The discovery was made during archaeological digs carried out by the Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University.

The spectacular gold earring, shaped like a horned animal, dates back to the second or third century BCE, during the Hellenistic period. Continue Reading »

2,700 yr-old seal with, ‘Governor of Jerusalem’ found near Western Wall

Seal was discovered in Jerusalem’s Old City during excavation of First Temple era building near Western Wall Plaza.
• Israel Antiquities Authority says artifact was likely attached to shipment or sent as souvenir on behalf of the governor.

By Yori Yalon, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

 

Israeli archaeologists revealed a 2,700-year-old clay seal impression that they said belonged to a biblical governor of Jerusalem.

The artifact, inscribed in an ancient Hebrew script as “belonging to the governor of the city,” was likely attached to a shipment or sent as a souvenir on behalf of the governor, the most prominent local position held in Jerusalem at the time, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. Continue Reading »

Pro-Palestinian NGO maneuvering for control over Israel’s archeological discoveries

While cynical resolutions are passed without credence at UNESCO and other United Nations NGOs with impunity, it would be disastrous for Israel to intrust “neutral” international bodies to oversee archeology discoveries in Jerusalem, for surely first the Jewish connection would disappear, followed by Christianity’s.

BY DANIEL K. EISENBUD

 

In Israel, archeology is far more than just science.

Indeed, perhaps more than any other country, the stakes of antiquities unearthed here could not be higher in terms of geopolitical implications used by warring factions to determine “facts on the ground” in the most contested region in the world.

Magdala stone with Menorah that was found in the Archaeological site inside the Migdal Synagogue area – Photo- Wikimedia Commons/Hanay

The battle between right- and left-wing ideologues is evident at archeological sites in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, where discoveries are routinely exhibited to the world as evidence of Israeli sovereignty in the Jewish homeland or as an occupier. Continue Reading »

Germany: Dead Sea Scrolls Aren’t Israel’s

Based on UN and UNESCO resolutions against Israel’s/Jewish claims to historical sites, the German government decided not to recognize the Dead Sea Scrolls as Israeli property, prompting the Israel Antiquities Authority’s refusal to send them to a scheduled 2019 Frankfurt exhibit, without the customary governmental ‘Immunity from Seizure’ guarantee.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL

 

Uwe Becker, the deputy mayor of Frankfurt, expressed outrage on Thursday over the German government’s decision not to recognize the Dead Sea Scrolls as Israeli property, prompting the cancellation of a slated 2019 exhibit at the Bible Museum in Frankfurt.

“If Germany is unwilling to clearly express the legal status of the fragments of Qumran as Israeli world cultural heritage goods, it would dramatically change the coordinates in our German-Israeli relations. Continue Reading »

Israeli archaeologists confirm Babylonian assault on Jerusalem from latest discovery

 

The latest archaeological findings unearthed at the City of David, an excavation site in Jerusalem, help prove the destruction of the ancient Jewish city at the hands of the Babylonians.

By i24NEWS

 

New archaeological findings at a controversial excavation site in Jerusalem help prove the destruction of the ancient city at the hands of the Babylonians.

Less than a week before Tisha B’Av, the Jewish holiday which mourns the destruction of the Jewish temple, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the latest research from its painstaking excavation.

Other artifacts which attest to Jerusalem’s affluence prior to the Babylonian assault on the city 2,600 years ago.

Continue Reading »

Israel Antiquities Authority discover Crusader-era escape tunnel near Sea of Galilee

 

Israel Antiquities Authority workers uncover a hidden tunnel in Tiberias through which it is believed served as an escape route during the July 1187 siege, by Muslim ruler Salah a-Din.
• The Mayor of Tiberias to feature the newly discovered tunnel in the town’s development plan.

By Yori Yalon

 

Tunneling through time: An archaeological excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority has unearthed an 800-year-old tunnel that researchers think served as an escape route from a Crusader fortress in Tiberias to the Sea of Galilee.

The tunnel – Photo curtesy: Israel Antiquities Authority

The tunnel, which appears to have been constructed by Crusaders some 800 years ago, runs underground for 7 meters (23 feet) and is exposed at one end near the promenade in the Old City of Tiberias. Continue Reading »

9 Byzantine-era bronze coins discovered in roadwork west of Jerusalem

 

The rare trove of nine bronze coins dating back to the 7th century C.E. was found during excavation held to allow the expansion of a major highway.
• The coins display embossed Byzantine-era emperors and Christian crosses, that were all minted in locations that are now present-day Turkey.

By Yori Yalon

 

A cache of nine bronze coins dating back to the end of the Byzantine period, or the seventh century C.E., was recently uncovered during an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation.

The excavation, which began last June as part of roadwork to expand a section of Highway 1 running west of Jerusalem, uncovered what was a large two-story building and a wine press — part of a larger complex apparently used by Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Continue Reading »

2,000 year-old ‘Emperor’s Road’ discovered, ancient coins unearthed

 

Approximately 1.5 kilometers long and 6 meters wide with inset pavement stones, the Roman period road, along with the ancient coins were unearthed by students, under the supervision of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

By 

 

A wide and well-preserved 2,000-year-old road dating to the Roman period was unearthed last month during archaeological excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority and students near Beit Shemesh.

The dig, located just off of Highway 375, was conducted prior to laying a water pipeline to Jerusalem at the initiative of the  water corporation Mei Shemesh.

The ancient coins discovered during the excavation.

Continue Reading »

Unique 3,800 yr-old jug designed with human sculpture unearthed near Tel Aviv

 

The students that participate in the excavation of the unique pottery vessel are part of a new training curriculum, which seeks to connect them with the past, and help secure archaeologists of the future.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD

 

A rare and unusual 3,800-year-old jug from the Middle Bronze Age, featuring a human sculpture, was recently unearthed during an excavation in the city of Yehud, near Tel Aviv, with the assistance of area students, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.

According to Gilad Itach, excavation director on behalf of the IAA, the discovery was made on the final day of a mandatory dig prior to the construction of several residential buildings in the area. Continue Reading »

Ancient gold, silver artifacts discovered at Israeli archeological site

 

Eight months after a 2000yr-old gold coin, minted in Rome, was accidentally found in northern Israel, now a new trove of ancient gold & silver artifacts were discovered at the Tel Gezer archeological site.

By ARIEL WHITMAN

 

A treasure trove of gold and silver objects dating back about 3,600 years from the Canaanite period has been found in the Tel Gezer excavation center.

The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced Monday that it believes the objects found were part of a ceremonial offering that was laid in the center of the structure being excavated. Continue Reading »