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A 3,400-year-old citadel in northern Israel is undergoing a curious development: It will soon be in the basement of a high-rise apartment building. Archaeologists and high school students recently excavated the fortress, finding bronze and ceramic artifacts. The excavators also found grains and cereals that ancient sailors likely bought when they stopped by the citadel to trade or sell their wares. [Read the Full Story on the Citadel]
Aerial shot
A photo from above the citadel, taken during the excavation. (Photo credit: Guy Fitoussi, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
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Stony rooms
Israel Hasson, the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and representatives of the Kochav Company, the engineering company that is building the high-rise apartment, during a tour of the site. (Photo credit: Eran Gilvarg, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Little faces
Artifacts discovered in the Bronze Age citadel include these female figurines. (Photo credit: Eran Gilvarg, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
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Bronze arrowhead
Excavators found an arrowhead made of bronze in the fortress, which once likely had a dock and was an administrative building for sailors. (Photo credit: Eran Gilvarg, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Pottery fragments
Pieces of decorated pottery vessels from Cyprus and Greece were among the artifacts found in the citadel. (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Jar handle
A stamped jar handle that dates to the Middle Bronze Age. Notice the menorah stamp, a symbol commonly found on artifacts discovered in Israel, including a glass bracelet and kosher bread. (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Constant work
Archaeologists excavate the site. Once the building is constructed, the location will also have an underground parking garage. (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Heavy load
Workers look for artifacts preserved in the citadel. Researchers found evidence for at least four intense fires that happened at the fortress over the years. (Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Laura is the managing editor at Live Science. She also runs the archaeology section and the Life's Little Mysteries series. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU.
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