Archaeological Team Uncovers What May Have Been Jewish Settlement from Talmudic Era

The American Inter-University Archaeological Expedition, digging at the Hirbet Shama, on Mount Meron near Safad, today announced it has uncovered what is believed to have been a Jewish settlement dating back to Talmudic times. Several buildings, including one believed to have been a synagogue, coins and artifacts were uncovered. The 80-man expedition, financed by the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C., is headed by Professor Robert Bull of the Albright Institute of Jerusalem and Dr. Eric Meiers of Duke University, Durham, N.C. There was one confrontation between members of the expedition and religious zealots who believe burial caves in the area are sacred–the daughter-in-law of the Sage Shamai is believed to have been buried in one of them. After being reassured that the caves would not be desecrated by use as storage areas for tools and supplies, the zealots, led by Rabbi Amram Bloy of the Neturei Karta group, left and the excavations continued. In the south of Israel, the Hebrew University Archaeological Department announced excavations in Beersheba have uncovered pots on which receipts for goods are inscribed. In ancient times, Beersheba was a district capital and trade center.