JERUSALEM: Israeli archaeologists reveal rare findings in ancient heart of Holy City
Record ID:
572873
JERUSALEM: Israeli archaeologists reveal rare findings in ancient heart of Holy City
- Title: JERUSALEM: Israeli archaeologists reveal rare findings in ancient heart of Holy City
- Date: 22nd March 2008
- Summary: (L!3) JERUSALEM (MARCH 13, 2008) (REUTERS) WIDE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION SITE, UNDER THE JEWISH TEMPLE MOUNT AND THE MUSLIM AL AQSA COMPOUND CLOSE OF MUSLIM DOME OF THE ROCK, IN AL AQSA COMPOUND WITH VARIOUS FLAGS IN THE FOREGROUND WIDE OF EXCAVATION OF A ROMAN PERIOD (SECOND CENTURY C.E.) STREET DOORWAY OF ANCIENT SHOP THAT STOOD ON THE ROMAN STREET WIDE OF ROMAN COLUMN WIDE OF EXCAVATION SITE, BLACK TENT HOLDING MOST ANCIENT REMAINS WIDE OF SHLOMIT WEXLER-BDOULAH, ONE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO MANAGE THE EXCAVATION, IN TENT PROTECTING DIG (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHLOMIT WEXLER-BDOULAH, ONE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO MANAGE THE EXCAVATION, SAYING "Actually, this is the first time in the history of the archaeology of Jerusalem, that we unearth remains of houses, of structures, of buildings, from this period western of the Temple Mount, in a close distance from the Temple Mount." WALLS OF A STRUCTURE FROM THE LATE FIRST JEWISH TEMPLE PERIOD, APPROXIMATELY 8TH CENTURY B.C. CLOSE OF PAVING STONE FROM THE ROMAN PERIOD, THAT COVERED THE ANCIENT FINDINGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHLOMIT WEXLER-BDOULAH, ONE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO MANAGE THE EXCAVATION, SAYING "The pavement of the Roman Cardo, of the Roman street that was paved in the second century (A.D.) that you are standing on just behind me, they have preserved it (the earlier remains), because once the Romans have laid the pavement, which are very massive slabs of stone, as you can see, once they laid them down, it has not been robed in the later afterwards, and they preserved everything that was underneath them." CLOSE OF RUBBLE THAT ONCE USED TO BE A WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHLOMIT WEXLER-BDOULAH, ONE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS WHO MANAGE THE EXCAVATION, SAYING "The whole wall fell at once, and this indicates that some sort of catastrophic event happened, either it was an earthquake, or it is the destruction of the first temple at 586 B.C.E." WIDE OF STREET FROM THE ROMAN PERIOD ROMAN COLUMN VARIOUS OF ROMAN STREET COVERING EARLIER REMAINS WIDE OF EXCAVATION HEADQUARTERS CLOSE OF HEAD OF A WOMAN FIGURINE , USED AS A FERTILITY SYMBOL AND FOUND IN STRUCTURE DATED TO LATE FIRST JEWISH TEMPLE PERIOD CLOSE OF IMPRESSION MADE ON WAX BY A STONE SEAL FOUND IN STRUCTURE VIEW OF WESTERN WALL, JEWS' HOLIEST SITE, NEAR EXCAVATION SITE
- Embargoed: 6th April 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: History
- Reuters ID: LVA4OZ0YP2NVXPU1BZMWNIKMGXF2
- Story Text: Israeli archaeologists reveal new findings in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City, which shed new light on daily life during First Jewish Temple period near today's Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli researchers revealed remains from the period of the First Jewish Temple on Thursday (March 13). This is the first time in the history of Jerusalem archaeology that such ruins have been found in an area west of a compound holy to both Jews and Muslims.
The ruins are located 100 metres west of the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews, and the religious compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located.
The dig is separated from the compound by the large Western Wall pedestrian plaza.
The rare archaeological findings may shed new light on the daily life of the residents of the city 2,800 years ago.
The dig is not related to a separate controversial excavation located closer to the religious compound. Israel said that the dig is aimed at salvaging artefacts before a planned construction of a walkway leading up to the Muslim complex.
In the newly revealed dig, the Israel Antiquities Authority was called upon to perform salvage excavations before the beginning of construction on a new building.
The archaeologists were amazed to find a rich layer of findings from the latter part of the period of the First Jewish Temple (8th-6th centuries BCE). The layer was hidden beneath a subterranean street dating from the Roman period (2nd century CE).
The First Jewish Temple was built in 957 B.C.E, by king David's son Solomon, and was destroyed by the Babylonian conquest in 586 B.C.E.
The importance of the structures and items found are the unique location and their rarity.
"This is the first time in the history of the archaeology of Jerusalem, that we unearth remains of houses, of structures, of buildings, from this period western of the Temple Mount, in a close distance from the Temple Mount," said Shlomit Wexler-Bdoulah, one of the archaeologists who manage the excavation.
Researchers know little about the ancient city in the First Jewish Temple period mainly due to 2,800 years of construction and human activity that erased most remains from that era.
However, Wexler-Bdoulah explains that a rare coincidence kept the newly found structures relatively intact.
"The pavement of the Roman Cardo, of the Roman street that was paved in the second century (A.D.) that you are standing on just behind me, they have preserved it (the earlier remains), because once the Romans have laid the pavement, which are very massive slabs of stone, as you can see, once they laid them down, it has not been robed in the later afterwards, and they preserved everything that was underneath them," she said as she stood inside a room of the revealed structure.
The Israeli team is yet to determine if the structure was a private residence very close to the Jewish Temple, or some sort of government office or institution, but the building style and some items found in the rooms may indicate that it was used by high status individuals.
The most exciting artefact found so far is a personal letter seal made of a semi-precious stone, that was apparently inlaid in a ring. The seal is engraved with the name "Netanyahu ben Yaush" (Netanyahu son of Yeush) written in ancient Hebrew. The two names are known as biblical names, and the seal indicates that a person by this name carried a role important enough in order to write letters.
Among other artefacts found in the rooms are several women figurines, probably belonging to a fertility goddess, and some animal figurines that were most likely used as fertility symbols as well.
These finds are considered characteristic of the Kingdom of Judea in the latter part of the First Temple period from the end of the 8th century BCE to the destruction of the Temple in the year 586 BCE.
Although its purpose remains unclear, the fate of the structure is well known.
"The whole wall fell at once, and this indicates that some sort of catastrophic event happened, either it was an earthquake, or it is the destruction of the first temple at 586 B.C.E," Wexler-Bdoulah explained while pointing to the rubble that was once a wall of the building.
Researchers were also excited by the finding of the Roman street that had covered the structure, and identified as part of the Eastern Cardo, one of the main axes of the Roman city in the 2nd century.
The uncovered street is 11 metres wide, and consists of rows of shops and a well developed sewage system typical of Roman cities reaching three meters deep.
After finishing the excavation at the site, the team hopes the unique findings will be preserved under the planned building, and that the site will be open to the public. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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