Second Temple period jars, clay objects unearthed in Beit El
Artifacts found in water hole might be linked to Jewish community
Dozens of jars and complete clay objects from the Second Temple period have been discovered by the Civil Administration in archaeological digs at Beit El in the West Bank.
The ancient jars were discovered inside a water hole at the Khirbet Kafr Mer archaeological site at Beit El.
The exciting discovery was made as part of an ongoing large- scale excavation that the Civil Administration has been leading at the site for more than a decade. In August, a richly decorated stone table dating to the Second Temple era was discovered at the same site.
The water hole was thought to be part of a residential neighborhood in a Jewish community that lived in the area roughly 2,000 years ago. The jars and other artifacts were found stored within large plastered niches carved into the sides of the water hole.
For hundreds of years, the items were “set there in orderly fashion one on the other and... remained that way until their discovery,” a press release by the Civil Administration noted.
The placement of the items at the bottom of the water hole indicates, according to the Civil Administration, that at some point in history the water hole was repurposed and turned into a storage basement for vessels. All jars and clay items discovered will undergo restoration before being displayed to the public.
Hanania Hizmi, head of the Civil Administration’s archaeological unit, congratulated the archaeologists on their impressive finds, stating that “the great efforts that the archaeological unit of the Civil Administration invests in the Beit El dig have yielded results once more.
“The archaeological finds that have been unearthed testify to the rich Jewish history of the area and contribute greatly to historical research,” Hizmi said.
“We will continue to work night and day to preserve the archaeological sites throughout Judea and Samaria, including the assets of our national tradition and culture among them.”