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Ancient site unearthed in Iraqi home of Abraham

Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press12:41p.m. EDT April 4, 2013

Associated Press/Stuart Campbell - This photo taken on March 31, 2013 photo provided by Manchester University professor Stuart Campbell shows excavation in progress at Tell Khaiber, Iraq. A British archaeologist says he and his colleagues have unearthed a huge, rare complex near the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, home of the biblical Abraham. Stuart Campbell of Manchester University's Archaeology Department says it goes back about 4,000 years, around the time Abraham would have lived there. It's believed to be an administrative center for Ur. (AP Photo/Stuart Campbell)

BAGHDAD (AP) — British archaeologists said Thursday they have unearthed a sprawling complex near the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, home of the biblical Abraham.

The structure, thought to be about 4,000 years old, probably served as an administrative center for Ur, around the time Abraham would have lived there before leaving for Canaan, according to the Bible.  (More)

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Archeological dig in Cologne unearths ancient Jewish history - and exposes layers of prejudice

The citizens of Cologne, known as a city of churches, were happy to have an excavation in their town - until it started turning up evidence of a first century Jewish quarter.

By Ofer Aderet | Apr.05, 2013 | 12:05 PM

Photo by Ofer Aderet

COLOGNE − “We are fighting over history here,” said Dr. Sven Schuette, as we toured an archaeological dig in this city in western Germany in late March. “They claim the Jews fell from the sky, that they are merely guests here, who came and left. But what can you do, the findings we discovered in the field prove otherwise,” he added excitedly, as he pointed out the ancient synagogue and ritual bath that were uncovered in the heart of the city in recent years.

Schuette, 60, specializes in the archaeology of the Middle Ages for the city. From his office in the oldest section of Cologne, he oversees the excavation that has had both local residents and elected officials in an uproar for several years. At the center of the controversy is opposition both to use of public funds for the project and to the extended digging that it has entailed in the heart of the city. (More)