Located at Mount Hotzvim in Jerusalem, a large quarry has been under excavation, exposing more information on the Second Temple time period when Jesus walked the Holy Land.
Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority excavated the area that covers about 3,500 square meters, forming part of a large field of quarries, according to a press release from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
They have uncovered dozens of building stones of various sizes, different paths and tools.
The building stones carved reached an enormous length of about 8 feet, a width of nearly 4 feet, and a thickness of about 1 foot.
“The weight of any such hewn block was about 2.5 tons! The impressive size of the stones that were carved from here in the quarry may indicate that they were intended to serve as building stones in one of the many state construction factories that were carried out in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period,” Michael Tchernin and Lara Shilov, excavation managers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in the release.
“It can be assumed, with a great deal of caution, that at least some of the building stones carved from here were intended to be used as paving slabs for the streets of Jerusalem of that period.”
“In another excavation conducted in the City of David in recent years, archaeologists have discovered a paved street (the terraced street – ‘via pilgrims’) that also dates to the end of the Second-Tac Temple period: Amazingly enough, it turns out that the paving stones of this street are identical in size, thickness and geological composition, to the stone tablets issued in the quarry now exposed on Har Hotzvim,” the release said in reference to the stones matching those used to build “Pilgrim’s Road.”
In 2019, Israel officially opened the stairway, known as “Pilgrim’s Road,” that Jesus is believed to have walked on in ancient Jerusalem as another place with the significance of “biblical proportions” to billions.
“It brings the Bible back to life,” David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel, told Fox News’ Pete Hegseth at the time.
“From a sewage pipe that burst 15 years ago came these excavations that resulted in the discovery of the Pool of Siloam, where all the Jewish pilgrims would come and cleanse themselves before ascending to the Temple and then an entire road, not a relic, not an antiquity, but an entire road intact from that pool ascending to the Temple.”
Friedman added, “People can literally immerse themselves in that environment, where the great biblical figures of the time where Jesus walked, we know that Jesus took this road. We know his visits to the Temple are well-documented. So you really have the opportunity to immerse yourself in ancient history in this incredible, stunning discovery.”
The Second Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem for 420 years between 349 BCE to 70 CE.
During the Second Temple era, Jews were subject to foreign rule by the Persians, the Greeks and eventually the Romans, according to Chabad Organization.
A stone tool was also uncovered that was believed to be more than 2,000 years old.
“This is a pure stone tool that was used by the Jewish community during the Second Temple period … It may have been locally designed, in the quarry grounds, or it was specially brought to the site to be used by the quarrymen,” Shilav said in the release.
Archaeologists are working to present the quarry to the public and working with a developer to “integrate [the quarry] into the commercial complex planned to be built” in the location.
The tools will be on display at the National Archeology Campus in Jerusalem.
