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JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli archeologists uncovered an ancient quarry whose stones were likely used to build the Temple walls.
The stone quarry, uncovered during excavations on Shmuel Hanavi Street in Jerusalem prior to the construction of residential buildings, dates from the end of the Second Temple period.
“The immense size of the stones 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," said Ofer Sion, the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Among the artifacts discovered in the excavation were metal plates referred to in the Talmud as "cheeks" that were used as fulcrums to sever the stones from the bedrock, and coins and pottery shards that date to the end of the Second Temple period.
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