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Jerusalem: Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Artefacts From Jesus’ Time

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Archaeologists excavating under Jerusalem’s Old City have uncovered 2,000-year-old artefacts that would have been used in daily life during Jesus’ time on earth, All Israel News (AIN) reports.

Researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered the artefacts during the excavation of a channel below ancient Jerusalem’s main street.

Discovered in the upper layers of sediment that remain from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 AD, the artefacts include pottery, a bottle that contained perfume, and oil lamps from that era.

“Into the channel’s mouth were swept the detritus of life above Jerusalem’s main street, where they remained preserved between the walls just as they were at the moment of the city’s destruction,” Dr. Ayala Zilberstein of the IAA said in a statement.

“Small finds tell us a big story, from Jerusalem’s heyday of prosperity and splendor when its streets bustled with life, until the city’s ebbing moments during the rebellion against the Romans, and its total abandonment following the Temple and city’s destruction,” Zilberstein said.

“Through this large variety of pots and dishes that accumulated in the drainage channel, we encounter nearly the complete tableware set of Jerusalem’s residents. In contrast to the limited set of vessels generally found when excavating a single household kitchen, the channel assemblage is drawn from many houses, and from different streets in town, thus presenting us with examples of almost all wares the city’s merchants had to offer,” Zilberstein stated.