Israeli archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Second
Temple-era Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem. A network of ancient
streets, homes and ritual mikvah baths were found recently in
the capital’s Arab district of Shuafat when municipal workers laid tracks for a light railway, Ma’ariv reported Tuesday.
The Antiquities Authority estimated that the finds, which currently
spread over an area of some 100 acres, date to a period after the
Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.
Evidence suggests the neighborhood was affluent and religiously
observant.”In the digs, many stone tools and caches of coins were
discovered, including a rare gold coin with the image of the Emperor Trajan,” Antiquities Authority official Rahel Bar-Natan said.
