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 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, 71, announced Monday that he had formed a new governing coalition with right-wing and anti-Islam partners, triggering immediate controversy over his plan to appoint a foreign minister accused of racist and abusive behavior.
The aftermath of Spain’s worst flooding in recent memory became clearer Monday as Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazón, resigned after enduring months of political and public backlash over his handling of the 2024 floods that killed more than 200 people.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Monday after opponents and loyalists of President Aleksandar Vučić clashed in Belgrade during a rally marking one year since the Novi Sad train-station collapse that killed 16 people.
Ukraine was weighing its options Monday after U.S. President Donald J. Trump said he will not currently approve the transfer of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s urgent requests as Russian strikes intensify around Pokrovsk and other eastern front-line areas.
Concerns are mounting about the future of Indonesia’s predominantly Christian Papua region, where the army claims to have recaptured a village in deadly clashes with separatist rebels amid reports of civilian suffering and long-standing grievances over Jakarta’s rule.
A federal judge has extended an order preventing President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, to respond to unrest targeting federal immigration facilities, ruling that the administration failed to justify the move under federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Washington plans to “be involved” in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, calling the legal proceedings “very unfair” during an interview aired Sunday on CBS’s 60 Minutes.