by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel has opened the vaults of its past to the world, unveiling a sweeping online archive of archaeological treasures that spans millennia of history.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Tuesday the launch of the Israel National Archaeological Database, a free digital platform offering access to more than 3.9 million records, nearly one million artifacts, 1.2 million images, and over 15,000 3D models of excavations and finds across the land.
“This project gives us, for the first time, a true bird’s-eye view of the entire discipline,” said Dr. Débora Sandhaus, the IAA’s Chief Scientist. “Israel is the most excavated country in the world, and this immense trove of data will now be readily accessible to researchers both here and abroad.”
The initiative integrates every stage of archaeology — from excavation planning to final publication — making it one of the largest online repositories of its kind. Users can explore an interactive map of Israel, view selected 3D models, and search by site, artifact, historical period, or researcher.
“Until now, those who were looking for this kind of information would need to sit in our archives for months,” Sandhaus explained. “Now they can just look for, let’s say, Byzantine churches, and find thousands of entries. It will help advance research immensely.”
The database highlights sites central to biblical and historical studies, including Tel Lachish, the Crusader-era Nimrod Fortress, and the Nabatean city of Avdat in the Negev.
Alby Malka, head of the IAA’s Technologies Division, noted the project’s educational potential. “Teachers could really benefit from using the database, especially the 3D models, with their students — alongside scholars and people passionate about archaeology.”
Both Malka and Sandhaus emphasized that the platform is still growing. “This is only the beginning,” Malka said. “We’re going to add a lot more data, 3D models, and more. It was important for us to launch now to give people a taste of what will come.”
The online portal is available worldwide, offering unprecedented access to Israel’s unburied treasures — a digital bridge to one of history’s richest landscapes.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.