Archaeologists find ancient stonemason’s workshop in Jerusalem outskirts
Defense Ministry unit that uncovered site, which includes several adjacent quarries, says it likely was a ‘center for quarrying, production and distribution of stoneware’
Defense Ministry archaeologists announced they have discovered the remnants of quarries and a stonemason’s shop on the outskirts of Jerusalem, during work to expand a highway in the West Bank.
The Civil Administration, an agency within the Defense Ministry in charge of civilian affairs in the West Bank, said that the site was from the Second Temple period and that the dig revealed “an entire production center” for stoneware alongside several quarries abutting each other.
The site, which an administration statement touted as “a historic and rare discovery,” is located between the Adam settlement and Palestinian town of Hizma, where the unit’s archaeology department uncovered a similar workshop for stoneware production around 30 years ago.
Citing the presence of the two sites, the Civil Administration said the area once likely served as “the center for quarrying, production and distribution of stoneware” for Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
While the site was dated to the Second Temple period, from the 6th century BCE to 70 CE, no more specific estimates were provided on when it was in use.
The head of the Civil Administration’s archaeology unit hailed the new discovery as “part of the treasures and culture of the area.”
“It is a great honor to carry out these digs and to discover an ancient and rich world beneath the earth,” Benny Har-Even said in the statement. “We can all know and get a glimpse of a life full of culture and prestige that that area knew for many generations.”
