Archaeologists uncover ancient bath used by Temple pilgrims in Jerusalem

September 17th, 2009 New finds at rich ancient cemetery in GreeceTHESSALONIKI, Greece — Archaeologists in Greece say a sprawling ancient cemetery dating to the 6th century B.C. has yielded dozens of rich grave offerings, including weapons and gold ornaments.

September 11th, 2009 Archaeologists find early depiction of a menorahJERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest depictions of a menorah, the seven-branched candelabra that has come to symbolize Judaism, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Friday. The menorah was engraved in stone around 2,000 years ago and found in a synagogue recently discovered by the Sea of Galilee.

September 2nd, 2009 Israeli archaeologists find ancient fortificationJERUSALEM — Archaeologists digging in Jerusalem have uncovered a 3,700-year-old wall that is the oldest example of massive fortifications ever found in the city, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday. The 26-foot-high wall is believed to have been part of a protected passage built by ancient Canaanites from a hilltop fortress to a nearby spring that was the city's only water source and vulnerable to marauders.

August 27th, 2009 JERUSALEM - The Palestinian Authority's chief Islamic judge, Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, has said there was no evidence to back up claims that Jews had ever lived in Jerusalem or that the temple ever existed. Tamimi claimed that Israeli archeologists had "admitted" that Jerusalem was never inhabited by Jews, the Jerusalem Post reports.

July 31st, 2009 JERUSALEM - A team of archaeologists has found a unique Aramaic inscription on a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during the first century, in a dig on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. According to a report in Jerusalem Post, the six-week excavation is being carried out within the Gan Sobev Homot Yerushalayim national park, close to the Zion Gate of the Old City.

July 6th, 2009 SRINAGAR - A day after the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage was temporarily halted due to bad weather, nearly 10,000 Hindu pilgrims left for the Himalayan cave shrine in the Kashmir valley on a sunny Monday. Weather improved a lot Monday and there was no downpour on the Amarnath cave temple track, said a spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) that manages the affairs of the pilgrimage.

July 6th, 2009 Israeli archaeologists discover ancient quarryJERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists have uncovered an ancient quarry where they believe King Herod extracted stones for the construction of the Jewish Temple 2,000 years ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday. The archaeologists believe the 1,000-square-foot (100-square-meter) quarry was part of a much larger network of quarries used by Herod in the city.

June 22nd, 2009 JAMMU - The ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave temple in the Kashmir Valley was halted for a day Monday from here due to heavy rush of pilgrims on north Kashmir Baltal route. There was a heavy rush of pilgrims at Baltal, the only route opened for the Hindu shrine as suspense continued over the opening of the south Kashmir Pahalgam route.

June 16th, 2009 SRINAGAR - The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in the Kashmir Himalayas was halted Tuesday due to inclement weather as heavy rain lashed the mountainous track to the temple. The temple board advised the pilgrims not to proceed to the north Kashmir Baltal base camp Wednesday as incessant rains and adverse weather conditions led to slippery conditions on the 14-km long trek to the cave shrine.

April 21st, 2009 New ancient Egypt temples discovered in SinaiCAIRO — Archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed four new temples amidst the 3,000-year-old remains of an ancient fortified city that could have been used to impress foreign delegations visiting Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Tuesday. Among the discoveries was the largest mud brick temple found in the Sinai with an area of 70 by 80 meters (77 by 87 yards) and fortified with mud walls 3 meters (10 feet) thick, said Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

March 22nd, 2009 VRINDAVAN - A controversy has erupted in the Bankey Bihari temple here after the authorities installed a bullet-proof glass in front of the deity, which devotees say comes in the way of worshipping the deity of Sri Krishna. The administration said the glass shield has been installed in the wake of threats received by the temple.

March 16th, 2009 CAIRO - An international team of archaeologists has reconstructed an ancient Egyptian ship of the first quarter of the second millennium BC called "Min of the Desert", in order to find how the ancient Egyptians sailed to the fabled Land of Punt. Until a few years ago, there was a widely held belief that the ancient Egyptians did not travel long distances by sea because of their poor naval technology.

March 11th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The historic Sri Krishna temple at Dakor in Gujarat has been turned into a fortress for the Holi festivities with the government deploying an unprecedented number of security personnel to guard around half a million devotees thronging the temple from all over the state. The unprecedented rush of devotees for three days at the Ranchhodraiji (Lord Krishna) temple, about 90 km from here, poses not just a threat of terrorist attacks but also stampedes, said an official.

February 15th, 2009 SHIMLA - Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient monolithic temple in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district. 'We have discovered the remains of a rare, ancient monolithic Ardhnarishwar temple on the banks of the Beas river near the Panchvaktra Mahadev temple in Mandi town,' archaeologist O.C.

December 23rd, 2008 JERUSALEM - Israeli archaeologists have found a rare, 1,300-year-old treasure under a car park just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem - 264 golden coins from the Byzantine Empire. The coins bear the image of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, who ruled over the medieval successor to the Roman Empire from 610 to 641 AD.