A fortress dating to the Hellenistic Era that the Hasmoneans burned to the ground has been excavated in an Israel Antiquities Authority dig in the Lachish Forest, the IAA announced Tuesday.

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Archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority explained that the destruction of the building appeared to have been related to Yohanan Horkanos the Hasmonean's journey to take control of the region around the year 112 BCE.

Evidence found at the site, including weapons, burned wooden ceiling beams, dozens of coins, and the remains of the Hellenistic-era building itself points to a battle waged between the Hasmoneans and the Seleucids some 2,100 years ago.

Archaeologists Saar Ganor, Vladik Lifshitz, and Ahinoam Montagu, who are directing the excavation, noted that the site exposed "illustrates the story of Hanukkah."

"It looks like we've discovered a building that was part of the defenses set up by commanders of the Hellenistic army to defend the large Hellenistic city Marsha from a Hasmonean assault. But according to the findings in the field, the Seleucid defense was unsuccessful. The building we found had been mostly burned and destroyed by the Hasmoneans," they said.

The structure uncovered measures 15 meters by 15 meters (49.2 X 49.2 feet) and was well-planned to serve as a fortress. Its outer wall, which are no less than three meters (9.8 feet) deep, were built out of large stones at an angle designed to keep invaders from climbing it.

The inner part of the fortress was divided into seven rooms, the partitions of which have been preserved at an unusual height of two meters (6.5 feet). The excavation has also uncovered a staircase that led to a second story, which did not survive. The existence of an additional floor leads archaeologists to believe that the building, when intact, stood some five meters (16.4 feet) high.

The site at which the fortress was built lies on top of a hilltop that controlled the main road that led through the Lachish ravine, which in ancient times connected the coastal plain to the central ridge of hills in the Land of Israel. The structure offers a view of Maresha, which was once the capital of Edom in the Hellenistic Period.

The IAA Lachish Forest excavation is part of a joint initiative with the JNF-KKL to build a "Kings of Judea" road. The project, funded by the Jerusalem and Heritage Affairs Ministry, involves volunteer work by Land of Israel Studies and archaeology students as well as students from schools in Beersheba, Dimona, and Nitzan.

Participants in the Asher Ruach Bo pre-military preparatory program for youth at risk from Mitzpe Ramon also helped with the dig as part of the program's week dedicated to community service.

The excavation entailed moving thousands of large rocks that had fallen in from the upper part of the structure that had covered up a half-meter (1.6-foot)-deep layer of destroyed remnants from the period.

Director-General of the IAA Eli Escozido said that "The story of the Maccabees is coming to life before our eyes, and that is the magic of the IAA's work. Archaeologists, through hard labor and effort, breathe life into the pages of history of the peoples who passed through this land.

"In a few days we'll celebrate Hanukkah, which centers on the victory of the Hasmoneans over the Hellenists, which then led – for the first time – to the establishment of an independent, sovereign Jewish entity. The Hasmoneans certainly couldn't have imagined that 2,000 years later, students in the state of Israel would be following in their footsteps. It's exceptionally exciting," Escozido said.

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Inspectors from the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit in the Israel Antiquities Authority have retrieved a collection of over 6,000 ancient coins that were being illegally sold.

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After scouring digital platforms to track down the coins, members of the unit pinned their suspicions on the owner of a jewelry store in Ashkelon whom they believed to be selling the coins in violation of the country's antiquities laws.

'Illegal trade in antiquities comprises a critical link in the chain that feeds off antiquities theft. Antiquities theft strikes an irreversible blow to the country's ancient sites,' says IAA's national inspector for trading Ilan Hadad

When the seller's home and business were raided, officials found thousands of coins from various eras that were intended for sale or trade. Inspectors also found metal implements and digging equipment that they suspect the seller used to steal artifacts from archaeological excavations.

The suspect was detained and questioned by inspectors from the Robberies Prevention Unit, who will then hand the case over to the Attorney General for prosecution.

The recovered coins have been sent to IAA numismatists to be identified and dated.

Ilan Hadad, national inspector for trading at the IAA, explained that "Illegal trade in antiquities comprises a critical link in the chain that feeds off antiquities theft. Antiquities theft strikes an irreversible blow to the country's ancient sites.

"The robbers, who dig at archaeological sites, destroying them out of greed, cut the antiquities off from their archaeological context and erase entire chapters of the history of the Land of Israel. These are stories that will now never be told," Hadad said.

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A Byzantine-era winery complex recently unearthed in Yavne, considered a treasure in itself, has revealed another precious find, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported Tuesday.

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Archaeologists working at the site have excavated an amethyst ring. Amethyst is one of the 12 stones featured in the hoshen (breastplate) worn by the Temple High Priest, and is believed to possess many powers – including the ability to stave off hangovers.

According to Dr. Amir Golani, an expert in ancient jewelry at the IAA, the ring belonged to a person of means and could have been worn by either a man or a woman.

Excavation directors Dr. Eli Hadad, Liat Nadav-Ziv, and Dr. Jon Seligman say that there is some question about the age of the ring, which was discovered in debris that appears to date to the end of the Byzantine era or the beginning of the Early Islamic Period in the 7^th century CE. However, they explained, the ring itself could be hundreds of years older and passed down through generations.

Gold rings set with amethysts were common in the Roman period, and the piece of jewelry could have belonged to a wealthy resident of third-century CE Yavne.

In related news, since announcing the discovery of the winery complex, the IAA has been overwhelmed with requests for guided tours and has scheduled more dates.

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A large Roman-era sarcophagus dating to the 2^nd or 3^rd century CE excavated illegally at an unknown location in Israel has been returned to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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Dr. Ofer Gruber, a veterinarian from Rehovot, received the sarcophagus from an antiquities collector who had passed away. Gruber contacted the IAA's Antiquities Robberies Prevention Unit so the artifact could be returned to the state.

The Robberies Prevention Union praised the doctor, and the IAA issued Gruber a certificate of merit.

At this point, the IAA thinks that the sarcophagus was stolen from an archaeological site.

"It's important to know that removing artifacts from their archaeological context does serious harm to the study of the find and the environment where it was discovered," the Robberies Prevention Unit noted.

IAA researchers plan to learn all they can about the sarcophagus and put it on display for the public some time in the future.

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Five suspected antiquities robbers were caught red-handed over the weekend using a backhoe to conduct an illegal excavation at Khirbat al-Jahush, which lies in agricultural land between Kiryat Ata and Highway 70 in northern Israel.

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The suspects, residents of the villages I'billin and Tamra, were spotted and attempted to flee, but members of the Israel Antiquities Authority's Robberies Prevention Unit, Israel Police from the Tamra Station, Border Police, rangers from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and volunteers worked together to apprehend them.

In addition to the backhoe, the suspects used hand tools to dig up the site, causing damage.

After being apprehended, they were brought to the police station in Tamra for questioning. The authorities also seized two vehicles and the backhoe, which are likely to be confiscated during legal proceedings after the suspects are indicted.

Nir Distelfeld, an inspector for the Robberies Prevention Unit in northern Israel, explained that the excavation using the backhoe "caused irreparable damage to heritage ruins. Hewn stones that belonged to a public building were torn up, mosaic floors were broken, and so were pottery and glass shards."

According to Distelfeld, the suspects' capture prevented future destruction to the archaeological site.

Gilad Tzinamon, the IAA archaeologist for the western Galilee region, explained that archaeological surveys of the site had identified fragments of hewn stone and pottery shards from the Hellenistic, Byzantine, early Muslim, and Ottoman eras.

Tzinamon said that the illicit dig had exposed a wall constructed of "very high-quality" stonework as well as roof tiles and glass vessels that could indicate that the site was once home to a church. He said that the IAA would conduct a salvage excavation to save the finds that remains, and learn as much as possible about it.

Dr. Eitan Klein, deputy head of the Robberies Prevention Union, said that the site in question has yet to be researched, and therefore "any damage to the archaeological layers and archaeological artifacts there comprise mortal, irreversible damage that makes it difficult for archaeologists to understand the history of the site and the people who lived near it throughout the generations.

"It's incredible that people take the law into their own hands and for the sake of greed, damage and destroy antiquities and prevent the general public in Israel from enjoying its heritage," Klein said.

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A 1,600-year-old mosaic uncovered during archaeological excavations in the city of Yavne in Israel's coastal plain region will soon be put on display in the plaza of the city's cultural center.

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The mosaic was discovered during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority as part of mandatory explorations that preceded construction of a new residential neighborhood and supervised by Avishag Reiss of the IAA.

The dig, directed by Dr. Eli Haddad, Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Jon Seligman, revealed extensive industrial zone that operated for several centuries.

According to the archaeologists, this was the first time that a pavement of this type had been uncovered in Yavne. They reported that it had been preserved in "excellent" condition, and believe that it might have been part of a "splendid residential building in a wealthy neighborhood adjacent to the industrial zone."

The multicolored mosaic pavement dates to the Byzantine period (the 4th century CE) and features colorful geometric motifs, surrounded by a rectangular black frame.

"At first, we did not realize that the floor was multicolored," said Haddad and Dr. Hagit Torgë.

"We assumed that it was a simple white mosaic paving belonging to yet another industrial installation. But black patches dotted around the mosaic suggested that it was more than one color and prompted us to remove the whitish patina that had coated it for years. The conservation director went to work cleaning the mosaic with a special acid, and to our astonishment, a colorful mosaic carpet was revealed, ornamented with geometric motifs," the experts said.

Once the mosaic had been documented, drawn and photographed in situ, it was removed and temporarily transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority's mosaic workshop at the Rockefeller Museum, where it has been treated and preserved by the IAA's conservation experts.

Meanwhile, the IAA and the city of Yavne cooperated to find a suitable location for the mosaic, which will be installed at a plaza near Yavne's city cultural center, with assistance from the Israel Lands Authority.

The municipality is currently preparing the infrastructure for the mosaic so it can be enjoyed by the city's residents and the rest of the public. The mosaic will be relocated and preserved using methods similar to the ancient technologies used to create it. The site will be open to the public while the mosaic is being put in place.

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When Naomi Meir, 18, spotted an object during a KKL-JNF archaeological excavation in northern Israel, she jumped for joy. After all, it's not every day that one comes across a 2,000-year-old candlestick – and the fact that she made the find during the Hanukkah holiday made it more special.

Meir, a resident of Jerusalem who is performing a year of community service with the JNF before starting her military service, is a volunteer on a dig at Tel Usha, along with a group of ninth-graders from Nahariya.

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"During the dig, I spotted a long, weird, colorful object," Meir recounts.

"When I realized it was a glass item, I got really excited and I ran to the archaeologist to show him what I'd found. He explained what it was and we got so excited we were yelling," she says.

JNF archaeologists explain that the candlestick is made of glass and dates to the Roman-Byzantine era, somewhere between 68 BCE and 638 CE. The candlestick contains traces of oil and was apparently part of a lighting fixture that included numerous other candles.

Sar-Shalom Jerbi, head of the JNF's Education Division, called Meir's discovery a "real Hanukkah miracle," even though the candlestick was from a period later than that in which the Hasmoneans lived.

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