Jerusalem

Jerusalem, the capital of modern (and ancient) Israel, is the epicenter of Biblical archaeology. Almost every time someone digs in the Holy City, some new and exciting clue about the world of ancient Israel or the origins of Judaism and Christianity is revealed.

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• Mysterious Podium Uncovered Near Temple Mount

  Megan Sauter   •  09/10/2015

  

  A 2,000-year-old pyramid-stepped structure was recently uncovered in Jerusalem’s City of David. Its exact function is uncertain.   Read more…
  9 comments

• The Ophel Treasure

  Noah Wiener   •  09/01/2015

  

  A striking cache, including a gold medallion inscribed with a menorah, shofar (ram’s horn) and a Torah scroll, was found at the foot of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.   Read more…
  8 comments

• Excavating at Mt. Zion: Jerusalem Dig Uncovers Ancient Mansion

  Estelle Reed   •  07/28/2015

  

  The Mt. Zion dig in Jerusalem has been excavating a first-century C.E. mansion that may have belonged to aristocrats or a member of the wealthy Jewish priestly families.   Read more…
  1 comment

• Rare Inscription Dedicated to Hadrian Found in Jerusalem

  Robin Ngo   •  10/21/2014

  

  IAA excavations north of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate have uncovered a stone fragment engraved with an official Latin inscription dedicated to the Roman emperor Hadrian.   Read more…
  No comments

• Ophel Treasure Goes on Display at the Israel Museum

  Robin Ngo   •  09/29/2014

  

  The dazzling Ophel treasure discovered in 2013 is now on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.   Read more…
  1 comment

• Coins Celebrating the Great Revolt Against the Romans Unearthed near Jerusalem

  Robin Ngo   •  08/05/2014

  

  Excavations near Jerusalem uncovered a rare hoard of coins dating to the fourth year of the Great Revolt against the Romans (69/70 C.E.).   Read more…
  4 comments

• Found After 1400 Years—The Magnificent Nea

  Meir Ben-Dov   •  05/05/2014

  

  Byzantine Jerusalem was Christian Jerusalem—par excellence. The Byzantine era began when the Emperor Constantine—soon to convert to Christianity—became master of Palestine in 324 A.D. It did not end in Jerusalem   Read more…
  1 comment

• King Solomon’s Two-Buck Chuck

  Noah Wiener   •  01/03/2014

  

  Gershon Galil recently proposed that Jerusalem’s oldest inscription is in Hebrew and it refers to a cheap type of wine.   Read more…
  1 comment

• Again the Siloam Tunnel

  Amihai Sneh, Ram Weinberger and Eyal Shalev   •  12/12/2013

  

  In the September/October 2013 issue of BAR, Hershel Shanks reviewed the evidence for the dating of the Jerusalem tunnels, citing recent analysis by Aren Maeir and Jeffrey Chadwick. Maeir and   Read more…
  No comments

• Hasmonean Jerusalem Exposed in Time for Hanukkah

  Noah Wiener   •  12/04/2013

  

  Hasmonean era no longer absent from Jerusalem’s archaeological record as archaeologists uncover a large structure in the City of David.   Read more…
  3 comments

• Roman Curse Tablet Uncovered in Jerusalem’s City of David

  Noah Wiener   •  10/31/2013

  

  1,700 years ago, a woman named Kyrilla had vengeance on the mind. A Roman-era curse tablet discovered in a mansion in Jerusalem’s City of David invokes four religious traditionsan attempt   Read more…
  7 comments

• Students Dig in Style on Mt. Zion Excavation

  Robin Ngo   •  09/30/2013

  

  Want to see students in action on a dig? Check out this lighthearted music video featuring UNC Charlotte’s Levine Scholars on the Mt. Zion excavations.   Read more…
  No comments

• Private Lives of Jerusalem Elites Revealed in Mt. Zion Excavations

  Robin Ngo   •  09/19/2013

  

  A recent press release issued by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte details finds from the Mt. Zion excavations that may shed light on the domestic lives of Jewish   Read more…
  1 comment

• Regarding Recent Suggestions Redating the Siloam Tunnel

  Aren M. Maeir and Jeffrey R. Chadwick   •  08/26/2013

  

  A web-exclusive discussion by Aren Maeir and Jeffrey Chadwick. The scholars argue that Hezekiah had ample time to construct the tunnel during the revolt against Assyria.   Read more…
  10 comments

• First Temple Period Inscription May Preserve Biblical Name

  Robin Ngo   •  08/21/2013

  

  A ceramic bowl with an inscription that may allude to a Biblical figure was recently uncovered among thousands of First Temple period pottery sherds, clay lamps and figurines near Jerusalem’s   Read more…
  3 comments

• Enormous Crusader-Era Hospital Discovered in Jerusalem

  Robin Ngo   •  08/06/2013

  

  Excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered part of a massive hospital dating to the Crusader period (1099-1291 C.E.). The structure lies in the heart of the   Read more…
  6 comments

• Jerusalem’s Earliest Alphabetic Text

  Megan Sauter   •  07/10/2013

  

  Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has uncovered an inscribed jar fragment from her excavations near the Temple Mount. Dating to the tenth century B.C., the inscription is   Read more…
  7 comments

• Hidden from View

  Robin Ngo   •  07/02/2013

  

  The Roman siege of Jerusalem during the First Jewish Revolt in the first century A.D. forced many of the city’s residents into starvation. For the first time, evidence possibly connected   Read more…
  2 comments

• A Road Well Traveled

  Robin Ngo   •  06/28/2013

  

  In the Roman Republic and Empire, state-sponsored roads were critical to the growth and preservation of the state.   Read more…
  2 comments

• A Jerusalem Quarry from the Second Temple Period

  Noah Wiener   •  05/08/2013

  

  The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a massive quarry from Second Temple period (538 B.C.E–70 C.E.) Jerusalem in the modern Ramat Shlomo district on Wednesday, May 8th.   Read more…
  2 comments

• Mikveh Discovery Highlights Ritual Bathing in Second Temple Period Jerusalem

  Noah Wiener   •  04/12/2013

  

  Israeli archaeologists recently uncovered a mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, in Jerusalem’s Qiryat Menachem neighborhood that dates back to the Second Temple period (538 B.C.E–70 C.E.).   Read more…
  1 comment

• The Tomb of Pharaoh’s Daughter

  Noah Wiener   •  01/30/2013

  

  Archaeologist Gabriel Barkay investigates the question—who was buried in the Tomb of Pharaoh’s Daughter?   Read more…
  4 comments

• Early Jewish Writings Reveal History of Jerusalem

  Biblical Archaeology Society Staff   •  01/16/2013

  

  The famous Theodotus inscription, which commemorates the building of a first-century B.C.E. synagogue, is one of hundreds of early Jewish writings now being published that document the ancient history of   Read more…
  2 comments

• Video: Inside the 2012 Ophel Excavations

  Biblical Archaeology Society Staff   •  01/15/2013

  

  The Ophel in Jerusalem sits at the heart of Biblical archaeology. The site’s rich research history stretches back to Charles Warren in the 1860s, and the Ophel continues to yield   Read more…
  5 comments

• Hasmonean Farm Identified in West Jerusalem

  Biblical Archaeology Society Staff   •  12/11/2012

  

  Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority have uncovered a large, well-constructed agricultural estate in west Jerusalem that dates to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The remains, which include a wine   Read more…
  1 comment