Modern excavations include more than the traditional bucket and shovel methods, but also on and off-site laboratories. These additions, such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), polarized microscopes, spectrophotometric systems, and…

Scientists with the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science in the Weizmann Institute in Israel are helping Ashkelon archaeologists Lawrence Stager and Daniel Master discover new secrets about their site’s archaeological remains. Using techniques…

Nicholas Ames, 2012 ASOR Platt Fellow, describes his work on microdebris at Dhiban, Jordan.

Botanical remains of olive.

Obverse and reverse of a legume (pea or lentil?), which are somewhat rare at Ashkelon and most other sites in the region.

Apparently the remains of a marine animal. I wish I knew what it was! Any suggestions welcome.

Botanical remains of grain.

Botanical remains of grape.

Botanical remains of carbonized coxcomb, a kind of flower known as Celosia cristata, leaving a seed that is characteristically smooth on one side and jagged on the other (identification by N. Lipschitz).