After nine years of work, excavations at the southern wall of the Temple Mount, the target of frequent international attacks on Israel, have come to an end. A team under Prof. Binyamin Mazar of the Hebrew University has completed almost 85 percent of the digging work in an archaeological project that is believed to be unique and historically significant. The site will be prepared for public visits beginning next year if the budget permits, and final work will begin on the remaining 15 percent.
The team has uncovered 25 layers of various periods in a five-acre area. The most important findings at the site were of the Second Temple with crossroads uncovered, staircases unearthed and Jewish art found. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Mazar said the cessation of the expedition had nothing to do with the condemnation of the dig by UNESCO. He said one difficulty caused by the UNESCO resolutions was the time he had to devote to journalists visiting the site as a result.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
