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World's First Skyscraper Was a Monument to Intimidation
TAU describes how Jericho's 11,000-year-old "cosmic" tower came into beingDiscovered by archaeologists in 1952, a 28-foot-high stone tower discovered on the edge of the town of Jericho has puzzled...
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Scanning Antiquity Underfoot
TAU researcher develops geological tool to see what's below the ground's surfaceAccording to rough estimates, there are some 20,000 undiscovered archaeological sites in Israel waiting to be explored....
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2000-Year-Old Burial Box Could Reveal Location of the Family of Caiaphas
Rare, detailed inscription is genuine, says a TAU researcherIn Jerusalem and Judah, ancient limestone burial boxes containing skeletal remains — called ossuaries — are fairly common archaeological...
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Seaside Fortress Was a Final Stronghold of Early Islamic Power
Ancient harbor at Yavneh-Yam was used for hostage exchange, says TAU researcherArchaeologists have long known that Yavneh-Yam, an archaeological site between the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashdod...
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"Ghostwriting" the Torah?
New algorithm distinguishes contributors to the Old Testament with high accuracy, says TAU researchIn both Jewish and Christian traditions, Moses is considered the author of the Torah, the first five...
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Archaeologists Find Sophisticated Blade Production Much Earlier Than...
Blade manufacturing "production lines" existed as much as 400,000 years ago, say TAU researchersArchaeology has long associated advanced blade production with the Upper Palaeolithic period, about...
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Fossilized Pollen Unlocks Secrets of Ancient Royal Garden
Pollen recovered in a 2,500-year-old garden helps reconstruct a paradise of exotic plants, say TAU researchersResearchers have long been fascinated by the secrets of Ramat Rahel, located on a hilltop...
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Exploration of Mythical David and Goliath Battle Site Reaches New Depth
TAU launches new archaeological dig in biblical city of AzekahThis summer, Tel Aviv University's Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology is adding another excavation to their already expansive...
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Ancient "Graffiti" Unlock the Life of the Common Man
Comprehensive new collection from TAU illuminates popular history from Alexander the Great to the rise of IslamHistory is often shaped by the stories of kings and religious and military leaders, and...
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Ancient Jugs Hold the Secret to Practical Mathematics in Biblical Times
Precise volume was measured by circumference, TAU researchers findArchaeologists in the eastern Mediterranean region have been unearthing spherical jugs, used by the ancients for storing and trading...
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Hoard of Crusader Gold Found in Ruins
TAU uncovers unprecedented trove of gold coins in 13th century castleA team of researchers from Tel Aviv University has uncovered a hoard of real-life buried treasure at the Crusader castle of Arsur...
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Neolithic Man: The First Lumberjack?
Transition from hunting to agricultural society parallels development of woodworking tools, TAU research revealsDuring the Neolithic Age (approximately 10000–6000 BCE), early man evolved from...
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Ancient Seal May Add Substance to the Legend of Samson
TAU researchers uncover a 12th century BCE seal depicting a man and lion in battle in Tel Beth ShemeshTel Aviv University researchers recently uncovered a seal, measuring 15 millimetres (about a...
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Desecrated Ancient Temple Sheds Light on Early Power Struggles at Tel...
TAU archaeologists unearth unique 11th-century BCE sacred compound with a turbulent historyTel Aviv University researchers have uncovered a unique 11th-century BCE sacred compound at the site of Tel...
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Mysterious Monument Found Beneath the Sea of Galilee
TAU research says unique structure is the product of skilled constructionThe shores of the Sea of Galilee, located in the North of Israel, are home to a number of significant archaeological sites. Now...
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TAU Archaeologists Find Treasure Amid Trash
A dig in Israel's Apollonia National Park has unearthed coins, rings, and jewelry in a Byzantine refuse pitResearchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered an...
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TAU Archaeologists Find Massive Fortifications from the Iron Age
A new excavation on the Israeli coast reveals ancient Assyrian wallResearchers from Tel Aviv University have unearthed the remains of massive ancient fortifications built around an Iron-Age Assyrian...
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Proof of Solomon's Mines Found in Israel
An excavation led by TAU archaeologists dates mines in the south of Israel to the days of King SolomonNew findings from an archaeological excavation led this winter by Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef of Tel Aviv...
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TAU Solves a 3,000-Year-Old Mystery with Pollen
TAU archaeologists dig under Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea to explain the collapse of Bronze Age empires in the LevantMore than 3,200 years ago, the thriving civilizations in and around modern-day...
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Genetic Study Proves Israel's Wild Boars Originated in Europe
TAU researchers say animals descended from pigs brought by the Philistines 3,000 years agoWild boars look more or less the same in Israel as they do anywhere else: stalky and hairy with big heads, long...
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Everything Old is New Again: Cavemen Recycled to Survive
TAU discusses the origins of recycling at on-campus conferenceRecycling may seem like a modern practice, championed by 21st century environmentalists and concerned urbanites. But there is mounting...
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Finding Israel's First Camels
TAU archaeologists pinpoint the date when domesticated camels arrived in IsraelCamels are mentioned as pack animals in the biblical stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Jacob. But archaeologists have shown...
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Ancient Metal Workers Were Not Slaves But Highly Regarded Craftsmen
Iron Age copper smelters were respected leaders with sophisticated skills, say Tel Aviv University archaeologistsExcavation at Slaves' Hill. Photo: CTV project at Tel Aviv UniversityIn 1934, American...
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Excavation at Megiddo Yields Proof of Animal Sacrifice
TAU researchers believe that corridors of massive 5,000-year-old temple were used for ritual discarding of bonesFinding animal bone remnants in the rear of the temple.Photo: Israel FinkelsteinThe...
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Ancient Skull Proves Modern Humans Colonized Eurasia 60-70,000 Years Ago
TAU discovery also indicates modern humans coexisted, interbred with Neanderthals in the LevantThe skull. Photo: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities AuthorityWhile it is widely accepted that the origins of...
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Prehistoric Stone Tools Bear 500,000-Year-Old Animal Residue
TAU discovers first direct evidence early flint tools were used to butcher animal carcassesAn elephant rib bearing cutmarks associated with flint tools at the Revadim site.Some 2.5 million years ago,...
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Where There’s Smoke: 400,000-Year-Old Dental Tartar Provides Earliest...
New discovery at TAU excavation of Qesem Cave reveals early prehistoric "balanced" diet and presence of respiratory irritantsHuman teeth from Qesem Cave. Photo: Prof. Israel Hershkovitz, TAUMost...
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TAU Among International Researchers to Discover First Evidence of Farming in...
International collaboration uncovers proof of earliest small-scale agricultural cultivationUntil now, researchers believed farming was "invented" some 12,000 years ago in the Cradle of Civilization —...
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Underwater Stonehenge-like Monument Discovered by TAU Researcher
Monolith found on island submerged by flood nearly 10,000 years agoArchaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics in Trieste, Italy, have...
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Turtle Soup, Perchance? Prehistoric Man Had a Penchant for Tortoises
New discovery at TAU excavation of Qesem Cave reveals tortoises played a supplementary role in the diets of early humans 400,000 years agoGrilled, boiled or salted? Turtles, or tortoises, are rarely...
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TAU Discovers Extensive Fabric Collection Dating Back to Kings David and Solomon
Textiles found at Timna Valley archaeological dig provide a colorful picture of a complex societyThe ancient copper mines in Timna are located deep in Israel's Arava Valley and are believed by some to...
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TAU Study Reveals How Diet Shaped Human Evolution
The Neanderthal rib-cage and pelvis expanded to adapt to a high-protein diet in Ice-Age Europe, researchers sayHomo sapiens, the ancestor of modern humans, shared the planet with Neanderthals, a close,...
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Handwriting Analysis Provides Clues for Dating of Old Testament Texts
Inscriptions dating to 600 BCE suggest widespread literacy at the time, say TAU researchersScholars have long debated how much of the Hebrew bible was composed before the destruction of Jerusalem and...
View ArticlePreserved Fortification, Donkey Stables Dating to King Solomon Discovered at...
Intact defensive structure, livestock pens provide insight into complexity of Iron Age copper productionSome believe that the fabled mines of King Solomon were located among copper smelting camps in...
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Multispectral Imaging Reveals Ancient Hebrew Inscription Undetected for Over...
Military correspondence from the First Temple period discovered on reverse side of well-studied artifact at The Israel Museum, TAU researchers sayUsing advanced imaging technology, Tel Aviv University...
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3,000-Year-Old Textiles Are Earliest Evidence of Chemical Dyeing in The Levant
Discovery provides insight into society and copper production in the Timna region at the time of David and Solomon, TAU researchers sayTel Aviv University archaeologists have revealed that cloth...
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Citrus: From Luxury Item to Cash Crop
Citrus fruits were the clear status symbols of the nobility in the ancient Mediterranean, TAU researcher saysNew research from Tel Aviv University reveals that citrons and lemons were clear status...
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Byzantine Mosaic Unearthed at Ashdod-Yam in Israel
Greek inscription is earliest known use of the Georgian calendar, TAU researchers sayA mosaic dating to the Byzantine period has been unearthed by Tel Aviv University and Israeli Antiquities Authority...
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TAU Archaeologists Discover "Oldest School in the World"
Ancestors of modern humans taught their children how to make flint tools at prehistoric school, researchers sayTel Aviv University archaeologists have uncovered what they believe was a prehistoric...
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Israel Dig Unearths Prehistoric "Paradise"
TAU, Israel Antiquities archaeologists uncover 500,000-year-old site described as a "paradise" for hunter-gatherersArchaeologists from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority recently...
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Genome Analysis of 6,500-Year-Old Human Remains in Israeli Cave Points to...
Skeletons buried in Israel's Upper Galilee reveal migration from ancient Turkey and Iran, TAU researchers sayAn international team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Israel Antiquities...
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Woolly Mammoths and Neanderthals May Have Shared Genetic Traits
Findings point to molecular resemblance in climate adaptation traits of the two species, TAU researchers sayA new Tel Aviv University study suggests that the genetic profiles of two extinct mammals...
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New Reading of the Mesha Stele Inscription Has Major Consequences for...
Line of the inscription lends credence to the story of Balaam in the Book of Numbers, TAU researchers sayThe legendary King Balak from the Book of Numbers may have been a real historical figure,...
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Early Humans Deliberately Recycled Flint To Create Tiny, Sharp Tools
Exceptional conditions at Israel's Qesem Cave preserved 400,000-year-old "tool kit," TAU researchers sayA new Tel Aviv University study finds that prehistoric humans "recycled" discarded or broken...
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Slice and Dice: Human Groups in the Levant 500,000 Years Ago Used Tiny, Flint...
New discovery by TAU-led research group suggests early humans in region were sophisticated and environmentally consciousThe Acheulian culture endured in the Levant for over a million years during the...
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TAU Researchers Discover Evidence of Biblical Kingdom of Edom in Arava Desert
Findings also suggest pharaoh's influence on Edom turned kingdom into copper powerhouse, say TAU researchersGenesis 36:31 describes an early, pre-10th century BCE Edomite kingdom: “... the kings who...
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Mmm Mmm Marrow? Study Finds Prehistoric Humans Ate Bone Marrow Like Canned...
Bone and skin preserved the nutritious marrow for later consumption, TAU researchers sayTel Aviv University researchers, in collaboration with scholars from Spain, have uncovered evidence of the...
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Study Reveals That Humans Migrated from Europe to the Levant 40,000 Years Ago
Discovery of teeth in Manot Cave sheds light on a population known for its cultural contributions, TAU researchers sayWho exactly were the Aurignacians, who lived in the Levant 40,000 years ago?...
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Study Reveals Two Writers Penned Landmark Inscriptions in Eighth-Century BCE...
Discovery illuminates bureaucratic apparatus of ancient kingdom of Israel, say TAU researchersThe ancient Samaria ostraca — eighth-century BCE ink-on-clay inscriptions unearthed at the beginning of the...
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Iron Age Temple Complex Discovered Near Jerusalem Calls Into Question...
Tel Moẓa site proves there were other sanctioned temples besides the official temple in Jerusalem, TAU and IAA researchers sayIn 2012, a monumental Iron Age temple complex dating to the late 10th and...
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