The excavation by the Antiquities Authority reveals a part of the history of Jerusalem during its heyday, shortly before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Stone vessels were discovered in the quarry which, according to the Halacha, were not defiled, and characterize the Jewish population
A huge quarry - one of the largest known in Jerusalem, dating from the end of the Second Temple period, has been uncovered in recent weeks in an excavation run by the Antiquities Authority in the Mount Hotzavim industrial area in Jerusalem, funded by the Bethany company. The excavated area covers an area of approximately 3,500 square meters and is part of a large quarry field, and stone tools were found there which, according to the Halacha, did not receive impurity, and were used by the Jewish population.
During the excavation, the archaeologists uncovered dozens of building stones of various sizes, as well as cutting and cutting trenches, which indicate the size of the rock blocks that were quarried on the spot. "Most of the building stones that were cut from here were huge slabs of rock, reaching a length of about 2.5 m, a width of 1.2 m and a thickness of about 40 cm," say Michael Tcharnin and Lara Shilov, the dig managers on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. "The weight of each such carved block was about 2.5 tons! The impressive size of the stones that were cut from here in the quarry may indicate that they were intended to be used as building stones in one of the many state construction projects that were carried out in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple, beginning with the days of King Herod the Great ( who reigned between the years 4-37 BC). According to the historical sources, Herod's construction projects in Jerusalem included, first and foremost, the expansion of the Temple Mount and the Temple. In addition to this, during his reign, a series of impressive public buildings were built throughout the city - palaces and fortifications, which required a huge amount of quality building stones. Monumental construction projects continued in the city even during the days of Herod's successors: the most important of these projects was the construction of the "Third Wall" of the city by Herod's grandson - King Agrippa I (who reigned between 37-44 CE).
"It can be hypothesized, with a great deal of caution, that at least some of the building stones quarried from here were intended to be used as paving slabs for the streets of Jerusalem of that time," say Tsharnin and Shilov. "In another excavation by the Antiquities Authority, which has been going on for the past few years in the City of David, the archaeologists discovered a paved street (the graded street - the "Pilgrim's Road") which also dates back to the end of the Second Temple - the commissioners: amazingly, it turns out that the paving stones of this street are the same size , in thickness and geological composition, to the stone slabs that were issued in the quarry that is now exposed in Mount Hotzavim.
In one of the corners of the quarry, the archaeologists were surprised to discover an intact (intact) stone tool. The vessel, which had been hidden in a corner for two thousand years, was discovered almost by accident by archaeologist Alex Pechoro. "This is a stone purification vessel of the type that was used by the Jewish community during the Second Temple period," says Lara Shilv. "It is possible that it was designed on the spot, in the quarry area, or that it was specially brought to the site to be used by the quarries."
The current excavation reveals another piece of the history of Jerusalem during its heyday shortly before its destruction by the Romans in 70 AD.
According to Dr. Amit Ram, an archaeologist for the Jerusalem area at the Antiquities Authority: "We are working tirelessly, together with the developer, to present the quarry and integrate it into the commercial complex planned to be built here. That way, the entire public will be able to get an impression of this massive enterprise of quarrying the stones for Jerusalem of the Second Temple days."
According to Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority, "The unveiling of the huge quarry, just before the nine days and nine days of Av, is symbolic and very moving. The special stone tools discovered here will be presented to families at the J. and Jeannie Schottenstein National Archeology Center in Jerusalem, which is open to the public for the first time this summer. I invite everyone to our tours, and to meet a piece of the past that just now came out of the surface."
The tools will be displayed to the public at the National Library of Archeology in Jerusalem, which was opened for public visits in the summer.
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