Byzantine-era street uncovered in Jerusalem

[February 10, 2010]  JERUSALEM (AP) -- Archaeologists said Wednesday that they have unearthed a section of a stone street in Jerusalem that provides important new evidence about the city's commercial life 1,500 years ago.

The 19-foot (5.8-meter) section of street passes from the west into the center of Jerusalem's Old City, coming to a stop at a large cistern that supplied water to the city's residents. Pottery, coins and bronze weights used to measure precious metals from Byzantine times were also found at the site.

The discovery conforms to the layout of the city depicted in a mosaic map discovered earlier in a Jordanian church, said excavation director Ofer Sion of the Israel Antiquities Authority. It is significant because it validates the historical image of commercial Jerusalem in the 4th to 6th centuries.

"This street was the center during the most (commercially) successful period in the history of (ancient) Jerusalem," he said. "It is wonderful that (today's street) actually preserved the route of the noisy street from 1,500 years ago."

Working from the historic map, archeologists uncovered covered the section of street 14 feet (4.3 meters) below the current street level.

The map, taken from a Byzantine-era church in Madaba, Jordan, places emphasis on Christian sites including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where the faithful believe Jesus was buried.

Once restoration work is completed, within the next few weeks, the segment of street will be covered because of heavy pedestrian traffic in the area, Sion said.

[Associated Press]

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