05/09/2026
The 2026 excavation season at Tell el-Badawiya/Hannathon came to an end last week—and what a season it was! Around 50 students, volunteers, and researchers joined us this year from the Department of Archaeology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Israel Antiquities Authority, Leipzig University, and other universities around the world. It was an incredible season, packed with exciting discoveries! 🌍⛏️😊
In Area A, we completed the excavation of the Persian-period phase. We also carefully excavated and sampled several pits and silos, hoping to better understand the role of these very common installations. And, of course, there were some fantastic finds along the way—including bronze objects, seals, and one especially intriguing artifact that appeared during the very last pottery reading of the season. We’ll have much more to say about that one in the future! 👀 Area B brought one of the biggest surprises of the season: a remarkably well-preserved public building dating to the end of the Late Bronze Age or the beginning of the Iron Age. We are only beginning to understand what this discovery means for the history of the site, but let’s just say that we had quite a few boxes to take back south with us. 🏺
Most of all, we want to thank everyone who made this season possible: the entire project team, our students and volunteers, and the people at the Hannaton Educational Center. Their hard work, enthusiasm, and support made all the difference. ❤️🙏😊
Photo Credits: A. Kleiman; A.A. Ibrahim, H. Sieger
המחלקה לארכיאולוגיה באוניברסיטת בן-גוריון - BGU Department of Archaeology
