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Ancient Jerusalem Workshop Uncovered by Police
22 Feb
Summary
- A 2,000-year-old workshop for pilgrim vessels was found.
- Suspects were caught with tools, leading to the discovery.
- The workshop supplied pilgrims and residents of ancient Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, a sting operation against antiquities thieves led to the significant archaeological discovery of a 2,000-year-old workshop.
Israel Antiquities Authority officials apprehended five suspects on Mount Scopus, finding them with quarry tools and a metal detector. The suspects confessed to charges of damaging and illegally excavating an antiquities site, facing potential prison sentences.
What began as an investigation into theft revealed a substantial workshop from the Second Temple period, the era when Jesus lived. Hundreds of stone vessel fragments, unfinished items, and production waste were found in an underground cave.
This ancient site was situated along a route used by Jewish pilgrims traveling to and from the Dead Sea region. The discovered vessels were likely sold in Jerusalem's markets to locals and visiting pilgrims, indicating industrial-scale production.
The use of these stone vessels was specific to the Jewish population due to religious purity laws. This period saw a notable increase in strictness regarding purity rituals.
Artifacts recovered from the workshop are now exhibited at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel. The discovery provides a broader understanding of the region's historical context.
