archaeological discovery

Unique seal of Byzantine Empress Irene Laskarina discovered at Perperikon in Bulgaria

A personal lead seal belonging to Byzantine Empress Irene Komnene Doukaina Laskarina has recently been discovered at Perperikon in southern Bulgaria. Dating from the 13th century, the artefact depicts the empress on one side and Christ the Saviour on the other in the rare iconographic representation known as Lytrotes — “the Redeemer”. Prof Nikolay Ovcharov,…

Aug 25, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Low Danube levels expose remains of St Constantine the Great’s Roman bridge

The foundations of a Roman bridge built across the Danube nearly 1,700 years ago have emerged as exceptionally low water levels exposed parts of the ancient structure, Reuters reported. The Bridge of Constantine was built in the early fourth century and inaugurated in 328 by the Holy Emperor Constantine the Great. It linked the ancient…

Aug 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archaeologists uncover previously unknown 1,600-year-old early Christian basilica in northern Italy

A vast early Christian basilica dating back approximately 1,600 years, previously unknown to scholars, has been discovered in the Italian town of Oderzo, in the province of Treviso, northern Italy. According to a report by Archaeo Reporter, the discovery was made on the site of the town’s former fish market during preventive archaeological excavations that…

Jul 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Egypt discovers 1,500-year-old monastic complex in Nile Delta, second-largest in Christian history

An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a vast religious complex dating back around 1,500 years at the Al-Qalāyā site in Beheira Governorate in the Nile Delta, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Cairo said on Monday. Researchers believe the complex represents the second-largest known monastic centre in Christian history, a discovery considered significant for…

Mar 28, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Portrait of Last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Paleologos discovered in Greek Monastery

A unique portrait of Constantine XI Paleologos, the last Byzantine emperor, was recently discovered in the Church of the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in the Aegion region of Greece. According to archaeologists, the painting was created during the Byzantine emperor’s lifetime. The Greek Ministry of Culture announced that archaeologist Anastasia Koumousi uncovered the portrait…

Dec 19, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Ancient mosaic with first Jesus as God inscription on display at Washington Museum of the Bible

The “Megiddo Mosaic,” a mosaic discovered in ancient Megiddo, northern Israel, including the oldest known inscription proclaiming Jesus as God, is on exhibit at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. (U.S.). The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) states that the mosaic “adds much to our understanding of early Christian communities in the Holy Land.…

Nov 27, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Pre-Iconoclastic fresco of the Virgin Mary discovered on Greek Island of Naxos

A fresco depicting the Virgin Mary from the pre-iconoclastic period (726-842) has been discovered in a Byzantine church on the Greek island of Naxos. The discovery is rare, as most icons were removed from churches or covered during the iconoclastic period. The fresco, portraying the Mother of God, was uncovered behind a layer of lime…

Aug 26, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Monastic settlement founded by St Moulag discovered on Scottish island

The ruins of a 7th-century monastic settlement have been discovered on the island of Lismore in Scotland. Researchers at the Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre made the announcement. The entire excavation project took around six years, with a significant delay caused by the pandemic. The discovery was part of a monastic settlement consisting of several buildings…

Apr 1, 2024Andrei Ursulean

Scroll fragments with the texts of prophets Zachariah and Nahum found in the Judean Desert

The Israel Antiquities Authority  (IAA) has discovered in some desert caves 80 new fragments of a 1,900-year-old Biblical scroll with texts from prophets Zachariah and Nahum. Marcello Fidanzio, the Director of the Archaeological and Cultural Institute of Biblical Lands in Lugano, declared for Vatican News it is the first discovery of note since the great…

Mar 19, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

Egypt: Team led by Romanian archaeologist discover world’s oldest known monastery

A Franco-Norwegian team led by Romanian archaeologist Victor Ghica discovered the oldest archaeologically attested monastic site in the world. The site is 370 kilometers south-west of Cairo, Egypt, and it dates back to the 4th century. The discovery made at Tall Ğanūb Qaṣr al-‘Ağūz, in the al-Bahariya oasis, certifies that Christian monasticism was born in…

Mar 17, 2021Ștefana Totorcea

New findings on an old settlement from the Cradle of Christianity

The June edition of Atiqot, an Israeli research journal, illumines the Christianity of a Byzantine settlement from old Galilee, destroyed by Persian invaders in 613 AD. Archeologists have just finished their analysis of this site, which was partially unearthed in 2007 at Pi Mazuva, in northwestern Israel. “While for now, we have no documents from Christian…

Jul 8, 2020Ștefana Totorcea