The remains of an ancient Israelite town have been uncovered at Ein Gedi on the western shore of the Dead Sea by a team of archaeologists, it was reported here today by the Hebrew University. The excavations, which were completed last week, fully confirmed the Biblical account of the fame of the town as a vine-growing locality and center of the spice trade, the university announcement stated.
The ruins of the biblical Ein Gedi, which remained an important settlement for many centuries, were found under a layer of relics dating back to the Hellenistic period (300 B. C. E–100 C. E.) which, in turn, lay under a layer of ruins dating to the Byzantine period (about 500 C, E.) All three layers indicated that Ein Gedi was an important transit center for foreign trade, according to the announcement.
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.
