Archaeology in Review

Dead Sea Scrolls Digitalized

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As part of the celebrations of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s (IAA) 20th anniversary in October, a unique project was announced—the documentation of the entire collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They are using the most advanced and innovative technologies available to image the entire collection of 900 manuscripts comprising some 30,000 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in hi-resolution and multi spectra. These digitized images will be freely available and accessible to anyone anywhere in the world on the Internet.  This is the first time that the collection of Scrolls will be photographed in its entirety since the 1950s.

King Herod’s Theater Box

{image_1}Two years ago, we published an article about new discoveries made at the Herodium, the conical fortress built by first-century King Herod near Bethlehem. One of the finds was King Herod’s private theater with a royal box at the top in the center of a group of rooms. Last summer, even more was revealed about this box (8 x 7 meters, 26 x 23 feet) that doubtless hosted the king, his close friends, and family members during performances.

Roman Bathhouse Unearthed

{image_1}An 1,800 year-old bathing pool that was probably part of a bathhouse used by the Roman Tenth Legion was exposed in excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) where a new men’s mikveh (ritual bath) is to be built in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Samaritan Synagogue Discovered

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A third Samaritan synagogue was discovered in Beit She’an, south of the Sea of Galilee. Built at the end of the fifth century AD, it was used until the Muslim conquest in 634. The floor of its rectangular hall (5 x 8 meters, 16 x 26 feet) is covered in a colorful mosaic, in the center of which is a Greek inscription that says, “This is the temple.”

Cameo Found

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Unearthed in the parking lot opposite the City of David, this 2,000-year-old cameo of two layers of semi-precious onyx stone bears the image of Cupid.

Chariot Linchpin Identified

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Sometimes it takes years to identify finds from an archaeological excavation. One such unidentified piece was found in 1997, when excavators unearthed what they believed to be Harosheth Hagoyim (in central Israel), the hometown of Sisera, the Canaanite commander of Judges 4 in the Bible. It was a small (2 cm. or 0.8 in. in diameter) round bronze “tablet” with a carved face of a woman wearing a cap and earrings shaped like chariot wheels.

Exquisite 2,200-year-old Gold Coin Found

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Excavations being carried out at Tel Kedesh, near the Lebanese border, have revealed an extremely rare 2,200-year old gold coin. Minted in Alexandria by Ptolemy V in 191 BC, it bears the name of the wife of Ptolemy II, Arsinoe Philadephus (II).

Early Canaanite Village Exposed

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An intriguing find that is fascinating the archaeologists was exposed in archaeological excavations at Ramat Razim, southeast of Safed [overlooking the Sea of Galilee]. The excavations were carried out within the framework of the development of the region in which new neighborhoods, commercial areas, and a medical school are due to be built.

Oldest Document Ever Found in Jerusalem

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A tiny clay fragment, which contains the oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem, was found in excavations outside its Old City walls led by archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar. The 14^th-century BC find is believed to be part of a tablet from a royal archives, which testifies to the importance of Jerusalem as a major city in the Late Bronze Age long before its conquest by King David.

Hand Grenade Inside City Wall

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Although this wasn’t an ancient find, it was, indeed, an unusual one. The Israel Antiquities Authority conservation team working near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem was dismantling fragments of a crushed stone when they discovered a fist-size chunk of metal in the core of the wall.