Between 1997 and 2016, researchers at an excavation near Ashkelon in Israel examined the remains of more than one hundred humans, remains that dated from the 12th to 6th centuries before Christ. The researchers hoped to find human DNA in order to answer an old question: Who were the Philistines? Where did they come from?
The region around Jerusalem has a long history of religious practices. Those practices might date back to the Stone Age. The people who lived in a recently discovered 9,000-year-old city just outside present-day Jerusalem were likely people of faith, according to an archaeologist who co-led the excavation.
A 1,700-year-old letter written by one Christian to another has been unveiled by researchers from the University of Basil, which is calling it the oldest Christian letter outside of copies of the New Testament.
Israeli officials unveiled a stairway, known as “Pilgrim’s Road,” that which provides further windows into biblical history. The road, which Jesus likely walked,” served as a pathway to ancient Jerusalem for those who traveled there three times a year to offer sacrifices.
A team of Israeli archeologists has announced the discovery of an ancient Biblical city. The Israeli Antiquities Authority, Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Macquarie University of Sydney, Australia issued a joint statement saying that they had uncovered the city of Ziklag, which was mentioned multiple times in the Bible.
New DNA research indicating the biblical Philistines originated from Europe bolsters the case that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli paratroopers and archaeologists announced Wednesday that they unearthed the remains of a 2,700-year-old watchtower at an undisclosed location in southern Israel. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority say they cannot reveal the exact location for security purposes but did say that it sits on an elevated location.
Archaeologists working on ruins in an ancient port city near Alexandria believe they have uncovered the oldest church ever discovered in Egypt. Researchers said the church — with walls likely built in the shape of a cross — probably dates back to the 4th century AD. Such architecture was common in places of worship at that time.
No one names their son Jehoahaz. It’s just too tough to pronounce. On the other hand, most of us know a Josiah or two. Not only is it a much more pronounceable, but as we read in 2 Kings chapter 22, “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years… He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”
Preserving the past and paving the way for progress have come to a crossroads in Israel. Archaeologists discovered what they believe to be the ancient town of Beit Shemesh and what they found there overturned their assumptions about the fate of the ancient city.
