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Archaeologists Unearth Quarry Used to Renovate Second Temple

[Ha'aretz] Nadav Shragai - The Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday that archaeologists have found an ancient quarry where King Herod's workers may have chiseled the giant stones used to renovate the Second Temple in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. Experts believe stones as long as eight meters were extracted from the quarry and then dragged by oxen to building sites in Jerusalem for major projects such as the Temple. Some of the blocks discovered at the site resemble stones used in the lower parts of the Temple Mount compound. Workers stumbled upon the quarry during excavations for a new school in the outlying Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem. Archaeologists also discovered coins and shards of pottery which confirm the quarry was operating during the Second Temple period, when King Herod embarked on major construction projects. Archaeologists found a complete iron tool at the site which they believe was used to chisel out the blocks from the quarry.
2007-09-25 01:00:00
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