First discovery of its kind in the region challenges traditional view of transition from nomadic pastoralism to nascent urbanism New archaeological research has revealed an exceptional Bronze Age town in the Khaybar oasis of northwest Arabia, confirming a major transition from mobile, nomadic life to settled, town life in the second half of the third millennium BCE. The finding infers that oases such as Khaybar were carefully controlled and valued landscapes that, with the advent of agriculture, supported permanent populations as centres for exchange and interaction with mobile communities. This nascent urbanism profoundly impacted the region's socio-economic organisation. A 3D virtual reconstruction of the Bronze Age town of al-Natah, based on newly published archaeological...
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Syria has uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era, describing it as the most important archaeological discovery since the country’s conflict began 11 years ago. The mosaic in the central town of Rastan near Homs, Syria’s third largest city, at 120 square meters (around 1300 square feet), was found in an old building that Syria’s General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums had been excavating. Lebanese and Syrian businessmen from the neighboring country’s Nabu Museum bought the property that dates back to the 4th century and donated it to the Syrian state. Each panel was filled with square-shaped, small colorful stones measuring about half an inch on each side. Dr. Humam Saad, the associate director of excavation and archaeological research at the director...
Read MoreIsraeli archaeologists recently unearthed the titanic tusk of a prehistoric elephant near a kibbutz in southern Israel, a remnant of a behemoth once hunted by early people around half a million years ago. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday that the 2.5-meter (yard) long fossil belonging to the long-extinct straight-tusked elephant was found during a joint excavation with researchers from Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University. An Israeli archaeologist works next to the recently discovered 2.5-meter-long tusk of an estimated 500,000-year-old straight-tusked elephant, near the city of Gedera, Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) Israel Antiquities Authority prehistorian Avi Levy, who headed the dig, said it was “the largest complete f...
Read MoreArchaeologists unearthed a lavish 1,200-year-old estate in Israel’s desert south that offers a unique glimpse of life for wealthy residents of the Negev region, the country’s antiquities authority said Tuesday. The discovery in the Bedouin town of Rahat dates to the early Islamic period in the 8th or 9th century, the authority said. Workers are seen on a 1,200-year-old rural estate discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority during expansion of the town of Rahat, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov) The luxury home is built around a courtyard and features four wings with several rooms for its residents. One lavish section features a marble hallway with stone floors and elaborate wall decorations. Archaeologists also found shards of decor...
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