Archaeologists have discovered a quarry where stones were quarried to pave the streets of ancient Jerusalem during the time of Jesus Christ.
The stones were used to build the ancient Pilgrim’s Way, a 2,000-year-old stone path where Jesus and his disciples wandered.
The Bible tells us that Jesus healed a blind man on the path that also led to the ancient Jewish temple, where Jesus is said to have prayed.
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient quarry connected to a road where Jesus and his disciples walked 2,000 years ago
Pilgrim Street (pictured) was built 2,000 years ago and is believed to be the street leading to the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a blind man
The site was discovered in southeastern Jerusalem and covers approximately 3,500 square meters, making it one of the largest and most important quarries ever found in Jerusalem.
The Israel Antiquities Authority discovered numerous building stones at the site that matched those found at another excavation site more than two miles away called Pilgrimage Road.
The researchers found that the road, which once connected the City of David to the Jewish Temple, was the same size and thickness as the one at the construction site.
They reported that the stone slabs at both sites showed identical markings, caused by digging trenches around the rock and excavating it from the ground.
“It is reasonable to assume, with due caution, that at least some of the building stones extracted here were intended to be used as pavement tiles for the streets of Jerusalem of that period,” said IAA co-leaders Michael Chernin and Lara Shilov.
‘It is astonishing that the paving stones of this street are exactly the same size and thickness and exhibit the same geological characteristics as the stone slabs extracted from the quarry at Har Hotzvim.’
Most of the stones found in the quarry were about eight feet long and four feet wide
The newly discovered quarry was only 4 kilometers from the City of David, making it an ideal location for the vast building projects of Herod and his successor.
The newly discovered quarry was only 4 kilometers from the City of David, making it an ideal location for the vast building projects of Herod and his successor.
Once fully excavated, it will be preserved for public viewing.
“In ancient times there were many technologies for shaping the stones, and special carts designed to transport them. The Old City is not so far away,” Chernin said. The Times of Israel.
At that time, stones were usually shaped using water-powered saws, which consisted of a pulley and wheel system. These were then moved from one location to another on wooden carts pulled by horses or camels.
According to the researchers, most of the stones were about 2.5 meters long and 1.2 meters wide and were likely used for monumental projects in the late Second Temple period, which began during the reign of King Herod in 37–4 BCE.
Streets, public buildings, palaces and fortifications were built until the city was conquered and destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70 AD, when researchers believe the quarry was abandoned.
The team linked the quarry to the Jewish people after finding a stone tool commonly used by the population at the time, and two stone purification vessels — large jars used for ritual washing.
The quarry is believed to be the site of monumental construction projects including public buildings, palaces and fortifications
It is believed that Jesus walked the pilgrimage road that passed by the sacred Lake Siloam, a freshwater reservoir, where the Lord and Savior of the people healed a blind man.
Historians previously thought that Herod ordered the street’s construction, but an analysis of more than 100 coins found during excavations of the Pilgrim Route shows that construction was started and completed under Pontius Pilate, who ruled for ten years from 26 AD, an IAA study found.
Pilate later sentenced Jesus, in 33 AD, to death by crucifixion.
Two stone purification vessels—large jars used for religious ritual washings—further confirmed that the site was built by the Jewish population.
One intact vessel was discovered “almost by chance,” the archaeologists said, having lain in a corner for 2,000 years.
It is possible that [the vessel] “was produced on site in the quarry itself, or was brought to the site especially for the workers,” Shilov said.
