Ancient city found under Jerusalem suburb
Pastor Dale Morgan
Ancient city found under Jerusalem suburb*
03/04/2007 10:46 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Workers digging a new Jerusalem tram line have stumbled upon
the ruins of an ancient Jewish city from the first century AD under what
is now a Palestinian suburb of the Holy City.
Archaeologists are frantically working to unearth the nameless
settlement that lies beneath the bustling streets of the Shuafat
neighbourhood before they have to bury it again in order to lay tracks
for a long-planned rail line.
The newly discovered settlement dates back to the period of the second
Jewish temple.
Although some archaeologists have argued that this is the site of the
biblical city of Nob, a refuge for ancient priests where Saul was
anointed King of Israel, the find has excited scholars.
"No one knew of a city of this importance just a few kilometres north of
Jerusalem, and its name remains unknown," said Rachel Bar Nathan, one of
the three archaeologists from Israel's National Antiquities Authority
working on the site.
The city is believed to have been built after Roman legions sacked
Jerusalem and destroyed the second temple of Herod in the year 70 AD,
Bar Nathan said.
It was abandoned in the year 130, at the time of the last Jewish revolt
against Rome, during the reign of Hardian.
Bulldozers have ploughed through the heart of modern-day Shuafat to make
way for a tram line that will serve Jewish districts north of Jerusalem
on land occupied and annexed after the Six Day War of 1967.
Digging for clues
Armed with spades, shovels, picks and brushes, more than 50 Palestinian
workmen are painstakingly digging for clues in the ancient settlement,
sheltered from the sun by an overhead tarpaulin.
They have discovered traces of a fire that swept through the city almost
2 000 years ago.
Pots filled with coins have also been found buried in walls, suggesting
that the residents hoped one day to return to their pillaged settlement.
A rare gold coin emblazoned with the face of the Roman emperor Trajan,
who ruled from 98 to 117 AD, was among them.
The city was built facing west towards the ancient Roman road which
connected Jerusalem to Flavia Neapolis, modern-day Nablus, the city
founded in 72 AD by Titus, the Roman general who crushed the Jewish
rebellion and was later made emperor.
Its layout and the large number of water cisterns found have led
archaeologists to conclude that this city was probably a supply stop for
travellers using the north-south Roman road.
Archaeologists have also uncovered private homes, public buildings, and
stone cooking utensils used by Jews of the era because they believed
them to be immune to impurities.
Coarse stone steps were found leading down to the remains of thermal
baths, decorated with colourful mosaics, in which the faithful cleansed
themselves.