Ancient Tablets May Reveal What Destroyed Minoan Civilization
The Minoans and their capital Knossos weren’t incinerated by volcanic blast from Thera or flattened by quake as thought, but tellingly: their writing system changed.
Philippe Bohstrom
Philippe Bohstrom is an archaeologist, covering archaeology for news outlets and journals in America, Europe and Asia. Bohstrom holds a master's degree in Classical Archaeology from Gothenburg University and a master´s degree in Near Eastern Archaeology and History from Tel Aviv University.
Stalking Us for 9,000 Years: The Levantine Origins of the Undead
From enigmatic burials in prehistoric Jordan to the ancient Sumerian demoness Lilitu, the vampiric archetype originated early, and endures in a form the ancient Romans would recognize very well
Were Hebrews Ever Slaves in Ancient Egypt? Yes
Ancient Egypt had intimate relations with Canaan, and most of the Semitic peoples migrating there would have been Canaanite. But not all.
Temple to the Goddess: New Findings Change What We Know About Male-only Olympics Games
Pausanius was right: Priestesses of Demeter were, alone among women, allowed to watch the ancient Grecian games, from their temple now found by the racetrack
Archaeologists May Have Found 2,500-year-old Persian Military Base in Northern Israel
The Persian camp on the Acre plain seems to have been a base camp for King Cambyses' all-out attack on Egypt in the 520s B.C.E.
Archaeologists Find Lost Swedish Man-of-war, and Sink the Hype
Mars may well have been one of the biggest warships in the world when it exploded off the Swedish island of Öland in 1564, sinking with all hands, but it seems some exaggeration was involved
Massive Ceremonial Hall Discovered Under Crusader Castle in Northern Israel
Archaeologists exploring Montfort Castle in the Galilee discovered a previously unknown, richly decorated Gothic hall where the secretive knights' order gathered for their assemblies
Missing Piece of Antikythera Mechanism Found on Aegean Seabed
Bronze disk unearthed by archaeologists in same wreck where original 2,200-year-old computer had been found; also located bits of the ship that Jacques Cousteau and looters hadn't destroyed
Israelites in Biblical Dan Worshipped Idols – and Yahweh Too, Archaeologists Discover
Finds in the northern biblical city of Dan suggest that even if King Jeroboam pushed worship of golden calves and goat demons to spite Jerusalem, there was a big YHWH temple
Huge if True: The Archaeological Case for Goliath
Is the story of the Philistine champion Goliath a distant memory of an event that took place in the 11th century B.C.E. or a fable by priests conspiring in Jerusalem 400 years later?
Treasure, Skulls in 3,300-year-old Transylvania Tomb Were From Nymph Cult, Archaeologists Suggest
Imported jewelry in tombs in the Romanian heartland reveals brisk trade with Scandinavia and Mesopotamia in antiquity, but why were these gems put inside caves in the first place?
Archaeologists Find Signs of 3,000-year-old Oracle Cult in Ancient Israel
Abel Beth Maacah was famed in biblical times for conflict resolution: Now archaeologists have found a strange shrine that may have served the city's 'wise woman'
Is This Where the Israelites Camped on Their Way to Canaan 3,200 Years Ago?
Stone structures found in the Jordan Valley wasteland may have been erected by the Israelites crossing, very slowly, into Canaan, archaeologists postulate
Before Herzl, There Was Pastor Russell: A Neglected Chapter of Zionism
Years before Theodor Herzl proposed creating a Jewish state, Charles Taze Russell was traveling the world holding Jewish Mass Meetings, beginning in 1879, at which he urged Jews to find a national home in Eretz Israel
Ancient Judeans Wrote Torah Scrolls on Gazelle Hide, Archaeologists Find
Since rabbis frowned on eating hunted animals, discovery of gazelle remains in the 1,900-year-old Galilean towns hints at parchment industry, say archaeologists
Jerusalem: The Not-so-eternal Capital of the Jewish People
Jews have been unquestionably connected with the city for millennia, yet it functioned as their capital only for short periods in history
Fatal Flaw in Quake Theory: Science Reveals What Brought Down Mycenaean Palaces
Debris and bodies crushed under fallen walls had led archaeologists to think Mycenaean civilization was brought down by quake. Can't be, geophysical study reports
How Mice May Have Saved Jerusalem 2,700 Years Ago From the Terrifying Assyrians
The entire region quailed before King Sennacherib, known for horribly torturing rebel monarchs, but he didn't kill King Hezekiah. Inquiring minds have been asking why ever since
Naked Cherubs Fresco, Rare Art Unearthed in Nero-era Mansion by Rome
Mosaics, colored stucco and cherubs sporting on sky-blue background found in house that had been occupied for hundreds of years
Isaiah the Prophet, Man or Biblical Myth: The Archaeological Evidence
Finding seal marks ostensibly from Isaiah the Prophet and Hezekiah within mere feet of each other in Jerusalem is intriguing; so are other seals of other non-visionary Isaiahs found in Israel from that time
Archaeologists Uncover Pottery With Parthenon Scene in Biblical Village
Ceramic decorated with birth of Athena copied from Parthenon frieze, and other imported luxuries signal, that the textile dyeing business was thriving in Bethsaida 2,300 years ago
Cremated Soldier Found in Cooking Pot at Vast Roman Camp in Israel
The camp discovered by Armageddon is the only full-scale Roman legionary base found so far in the East: It housed the 'Ironclad' Sixth Legion, a cremated comrade in a cooking pot, and a Sacred Eagle, whose birdly squawks would be interpreted as portents of war
Cluster of Roman Shipwrecks Suddenly Noticed Off Greek Island of Naxos
Diving archaeologists were surprised to find eight sunken ships on the Cycladic resort's seabed that, however, the locals knew about all along
Homesick Phoenicians Imported Plants, Animals to New Sicilian Island Home 3,000 Years Ago
DNA analysis of seeds and bones unearthed on the tiny island of Motya show that they came from the ancient Levant, brought by the Phoenicians to Sicily.
Archaeologists May Have Found Long-lost Byzantine City Ashdod-Yam
Discovery of Greek dedication from 1,500 years ago indicates to archaeologists that they have finally found the Roman-Byzantine city of Ashdod-Yam, right by Ashdod
Did David and Solomon's United Monarchy Exist? Vast Ancient Mining Operation May Hold Answers
Archaeology has provided precious little evidence for the biblical account of a powerful Judaic kingdom 3,000 years ago, but the sheer extent of copper mining in Timna, when Egypt was in a state of collapse, is otherwise hard to explain
Diving Archaeologists Find Unique Lion Helmet From Punic Wars 2,300 Years Ago
Carthage fought the Roman Navy with ships captured from them in previous battle, but lost anyway, which explains why the Sicilian seafloor is littered with remains of ships built by the side that won
3,200-year-old Pagan Ritual Hall Found in Israel, Archaeologists Confirm
Rare masks, cultic tableware, a massebah and figurines bolster the theory of pagan worship at Tel Burna over three millennia ago, says excavator
Buried at the Racetracks: 1,500-year-old Grave Discovered at Carthage Circus
The ancient Carthaginians were so obsessed with gambling that some may have chosen the races as their final resting place, archaeologists suspect.
Pirates, or Storms? Archaeologists Find 'Ships Graveyard' in Greek Archipelago
Eight more ancient wrecks found at Fourni, bringing total in what should have been safe harbor in the Mediterranean Sea to 53 ancient sunken ships.