Israel Antiquities Authority

Israel Antiquities Authority Latest

AN Egyptian scarab discovered at Azekah. Courtesy Emil Aladjem IAA

Apr 11 Blog

Scarab Seal Discovered at Azekah

While on a walk with her family at the site of Azekah in central Israel, three-year-old Ziv Nitzan made a remarkable chance discovery: a nearly […]

Pyramid structure in the Judean Desert north of Nahal Zohar. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA

Apr 4 Blog

A Pyramid in the Judean Desert

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

What is a pyramid doing in the Judean Desert? While certainly not a pyramid of the type found in Egypt, the pile of stones sitting […]

Mar 30 Blog

Did Jesus’ Last Supper Take Place Above the Tomb of David?

By: Marek Dospěl

Jesus’ Last Supper and the Tomb of David are traditionally associated with a building called the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Can archaeology shed light on these traditions?

Mar 24 Blog

Bar Kokhba Tunnels in the Galilee

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have revealed a complex of underground tunnels built by the Jewish residents of Huqoq, in central Galilee, around […]

Mar 16 Blog

How Bad Was Jezebel?

By: Janet Howe Gaines

For more than two thousand years, Jezebel has been saddled with a reputation as the bad girl of the Bible, the wickedest of women. But just how depraved was she?

Feb 26 Blog

Rare Chalk Box Discovered in Jerusalem

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Chalk vessels were a common feature of Judean life during the late Second Temple period (c. 200 BCE–70 CE), but what could have been the […]

The Via Pretoria of Legio. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA

Feb 17 Blog

More of Megiddo’s Roman Legionary Camp Revealed

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

During excavations at the site of Legio, at the foot of Tel Megiddo in northern Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered the main road […]

Bottom of the Assyrian scarab seal. Courtesy Anastasia Shapiro, IAA.

Feb 12 Blog

Hiker Finds 2,700-Year-Old Scarab Seal

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

While hiking in the Lower Galilee, a man was surprised to spot a small scarab seal sparkling on the ground. Used by Near Eastern cultures […]

Jan 31 Blog

Roman Law & Order: Judean Fraud Unit

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

A lengthy papyrus, found in the Judean Desert, sheds light on law and order in the Roman provinces of Judea and Arabia. Translated by a […]

Jan 25 Blog

2,500-Year-Old Silver Coin Discovered in Israel

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

During salvage excavations in the Judean Hills, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered an extremely rare silver coin dating from the sixth or […]

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