All information about Israel – Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim high-tech industrial zone not too long ago uncovered an enormous historic stone quarry. Situated north of the Outdated Metropolis of Jerusalem, this website is without doubt one of the largest ever found within the metropolis. It dates from the late Second Temple interval, across the 1st century AD, which is the Roman interval.
Established within the early Nineteen Seventies, Har Hotzvim is a high-tech industrial park in northern Jerusalem. It serves as a hub for a lot of high-tech corporations within the metropolis's know-how sector.
Funded by growth firm Vitania, the excavation covers roughly 3,500 sq. meters (about 37,700 sq. toes) and represents solely a part of this large quarry. Vital discoveries embrace a ravishing and fascinating stone instrument that is still ritually clear in accordance with Jewish halacha (spiritual regulation) and was generally utilized by the Jewish neighborhood on the time.
In the course of the excavation, archaeologists uncovered quite a lot of constructing stones of varied sizes, together with trenches from quarrying and reducing, which reveal the scale of the quarried blocks.
“A lot of the stones quarried right here had been large rock slabs, measuring about 2.5 meters in size, 1.2 meters in width and 40 centimeters in thickness,” stated Michael Chernin and Lara Shilov, IAA excavation administrators.
“Every of those blocks weighed roughly two and a half tons! The large measurement of those stones signifies that they had been supposed to be used in one of many many royal building tasks of Jerusalem through the late Second Temple interval, starting with the reign of King Herod.” The Nice between 37-4 BC Historic data point out that Herod's tasks in Jerusalem included the enlargement of the Temple Mount and the Temple itself,” the archaeologists added.
“Moreover, throughout Herod's reign, a number of magnificent public buildings, palaces and fortifications had been constructed all through the town, requiring giant provides of high-quality constructing stone. Monumental constructing tasks continued underneath his successors, together with the key building of the town's 'Third Wall' by Herod's grandson King Agrippa I, who reigned from AD 37-44”
Whereas excavating a distant a part of the quarry, archaeologist Alex Pechuro made a exceptional discovery: an intact stone vessel that had been hidden for practically two thousand years. This discover was made nearly accidentally, which added a component of shock to the excavation.
“It is a purification vessel fabricated from stone that was utilized by the Jewish neighborhood through the Second Temple interval,” Shilov defined. “It might have been made on website on the quarry or imported particularly for the employees' wants.”
This discovery deepens our perception into the residing historical past of Jerusalem main as much as its destruction by the Romans in AD 70
Dr. Amit Re'em, IAA Jerusalem District Supervisor, stated: “We’re working diligently with Vitania to protect and current the quarry and combine it into the upcoming industrial complicated deliberate for the world. This can enable the general public to understand the magnificence of this momentous enterprise – the quarrying of constructing stones for Jerusalem through the Second Temple interval.”
Chernin and Shilov added: “It’s affordable to cautiously assume that among the stones quarried right here had been supposed to be used as paving slabs for the streets of Jerusalem at the moment.” In a separate excavation at present being carried out by the IAA within the Metropolis of David, archaeologists uncovered a cobbled avenue known as the “Pilgrim's Manner” or “Stepped Road”.
Relationship from the late Second Temple interval, throughout Roman rule, this class accommodates cobblestones that match these quarried from Har Hotzvim in measurement, thickness, and geological composition.
“The invention of this large quarry, particularly simply earlier than the 9 Days and the Ninth Day of Av, a time when Jews world wide mourn the destruction of Jerusalem, is deeply symbolic and transferring,” stated IAA director Eli Escusido. “The distinctive stone vessels discovered right here will likely be on show for households on the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Nationwide Archaeological Campus in Jerusalem, which not too long ago opened to the general public. I encourage everybody to affix our excursions and join with a bit of historical past that has simply been uncovered.”
Amazingly, the location of this historic quarry is situated in a neighborhood known as “Har Hotzvim”, which implies “Mountain of Stoneworkers” in Hebrew. This identify would possibly lead us to imagine that it has its origins on this historic quarry, however this isn’t the case and is solely a matter of probability.
The present identify comes from a quarry that operated within the space within the Sixties. The identify “Har Hotzvim” first appeared in official paperwork in a draft undertaking for the development of an industrial zone on the location, submitted in 1969 by architect Zalman Einav.
Moreover, we all know {that a} not too long ago excavated stone quarry was partially found as early as 2021 by archaeologist Moran Hadj'bi of the IAA. The newest discoveries are a big addition to what has already been found not too long ago.
Many stone quarries courting again to the first century AD have been found in Israel and particularly round Jerusalem. This proves that Jerusalem was a vital place for building throughout this era.
This text is republished from All Israel Information with permission.