Archaeologists uncover ancient stone quarry believed used in Second Temple

September 23rd, 2009 Bath used by Temple pilgrims found in JerusalemJERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists say they have uncovered a ritual bath in Jerusalem that was likely used by Jewish pilgrims coming to the temple two millenia ago. The bath is located next to the Temple Mount, the compound in Jerusalem's Old City where two Biblical Temples stood.

September 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Archaeologists have discovered one of the world's oldest synagogues in Northern Israel, dating back to some 2000 years from 50BC to 100 AD. According to a report by the CNN, the site was unearthed at the site of a new 122-room hotel near the Sea of Galilee.

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.

August 21st, 2009 LONDON - A team of archaeologists has uncovered what they believe could be remains of the only medieval stone castle in South Northamptonshire, UK. According to a report in the Northampton Chron and Echo newspaper, archaeologists from Northamptonshire made the discovery at The Mount in Alderton, near Towcester, after they picked up where Time Team's archaeologists left off eight years ago.

July 27th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has found a sanctuary in Central Bulgaria where the nymph cult used to be celebrated in ancient times. According to a report in the Balkan Travellers, the sanctuary was found by archaeologists in the vicinity of the Nicopolis ad Istrum ancient site, located near the town of Veliko Tarnovo in central Bulgaria.

July 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists have found a stone inscription at Periyanayaki Amman temple in Palani, Tamil Nadu, dating back to 17th century that mentions a solar eclipse that took place at that time. Periyanayaki Amman temple is one of the important satellite shrines of Arul­mighu Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani.

July 12th, 2009 TEHRAN - Archaeologists have discovered what is being dubbed as Iran's largest Paleolithic area in the Mirk hill, located in the southern part of the city of Semnan. The 4-hectare area, which dates back to the middle-Paleolithic era, has yielded numerous ancient objects belonging to Neanderthals.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New findings inside a 2,000-year-old underground chamber discovered in Israel's Jordan Valley suggest that it may have served as a monastery, hideout for persecuted Christians, or Roman army base. According to a report in National Geographic News, the largest human-made cave in Israel, the 1-acre (0.4-hectare) space is thought to have begun as a quarry.

June 24th, 2009 SOFIA - A team of archaeologists has uncovered an intact Thracian settlement close to the southeast town of Nova Zagora in Bulgaria. According to a report in novinite.com, the team comprised of Konstantin Gospodinov and Veselin Ignatov from the city of Burgas, who hope that their finding would be the first Thracian settlement to be uncovered in its entirety.

June 17th, 2009 ROME - Archaeologists have unearthed a number of ancient Roman treasures during excavation outside the southern Italian city of Naples. Twelve ancient statues, columns and fragments bearing inscriptions from what appear to be monuments from the Republican and Imperial periods of ancient Roman history have been uncovered.

June 16th, 2009 SOFIA - Archaeologists have discovered a previously unknown settlement from the Roman Era in the Mentesheto area near the town of Varna on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast. According to a report in BalkanTravellers.com, the discovery was made by archaeologists Aleksadar Michev and Teodor Rokov, who were exploring a stone structure reminiscent of a 'dolmen' - a typical Thracian tomb from the Early Iron Age.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Archaeologists have unearthed more than two tonnes of ancient coins dating back to as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) on a playground of a primary school in Shaanxi Province, northwest China. According to Zhao Aiguo, director of the cultural relics protection and tourism bureau in Liquan County, Shaanxi, the coins were found when workers were excavating the grounds for construction of another building.

June 5th, 2009 Scientists find more dinosaur bones at Utah quarrySALT LAKE CITY — Scientists at one of Utah's major new dinosaur quarries have found 60 to 70 new bones this spring, including what appears to be a 20-foot-long neck bone discovered this week. The latest finds are fresh evidence that the site near Hanksville could be a large and important source of bones in the coming years.

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.

February 11th, 2009 CAIRO - Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a 'perfectly preserved' mummy inside a 2,600-year-old lime sarcophagus north of Cairo Wednesday, Egypt's antiquities authority said. Scientists said they believed the mummy, one of 30 discovered in a previously forgotten tomb near the step pyramid of Saqqara, could have been a nobleman from the time of the 26th Dynasty.