Israel Matzav: Second Temple-period quarry exposed on Jerusalem's Shmuel HaNavi Street

Second Temple-period quarry exposed on Jerusalem's Shmuel HaNavi Street

A Second Temple-period quarry was exposed during excavations on Jerusalem's Shmuel HaNavi Street on Monday. Here are some pictures.

Here are the details.

An ancient quarry, c. 1 dunam in area and dating to the end of the Second Temple period (c. 2,030 years old), was uncovered in excavations being conducted on Shmuel HaNavi Street in Jerusalem, under the direction of Dr. Ofer Sion and Yehuda Rapuano of the Israel Antiquities Authority, prior to the construction of residential buildings.

Dr. Ofer Sion, the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, believes, “The immense size of the stones (maximum dimensions: length 3 m, width 2 m, height 2 m) indicates it was highly likely that the large stones that were quarried at the site were destined for use in the construction of Herod’s magnificent projects in Jerusalem, including the Temple walls. It seems that a vast number of workers labored in the quarry where various size stones were produced: first they quarried small stones and when the bedrock surface was made level they hewed the large stones. The stones were quarried by creating wide detachment channels that were marked by means of a chisel which weighed c. 2.5 kilograms. After the channels were formed the stones were severed from the bedrock using hammers and chisels”.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Second Temple-period quarry exposed on Jerusalem's Shmuel HaNavi Street