Ancient Jewish settlement from 2,000 years ago unearthed in Israel

An ancient Jewish settlement dating back 2,000 years has been discovered in Israel. 

The find also exposed underground tunnels used by rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135AD.

Evidence also surfaced proving the area was being used during the First Jewish Revolt of 70AD to store goods in underground rooms and chambers.

Archaeologists also unveiled parts of a watchtower, rubbish dumps, bakeries, Roman-era coins, a mikveh  – a Jewish ritual bath – and limestone vessels used in rituals.

A rare oil lamp emblazoned with the nine-branched menorah was also found and is being heralded as the most culturally significant find at the site in the desert. 

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An ancient settlement dating back 2,000 years has been discovered in Israel. The find also exposed underground tunnels used by rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135AD

Evidence also surfaced of the area being used during the First Jewish Revolt of 70AD to store goods in underground rooms. Archaeologists also unveiled parts of a watchtower, rubbish dumps, bakeries, Roman-era coins, a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) and limestone vessels used in rituals

The marquee finding of the haul is the nine-stemmed menorah, which some say may be a ‘hanukkiah,’ a menorah which has a total of nine flames and is used during Hanukkah.

Experts caution that this may be unfounded, as there is no evidence of celebrations occurring at the site during the holiday period. 

All the relics from the site’s inhabitants were found as part of a project orchestrated by academics from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev and the Israel Antiquities Authority ahead of a new residential town being built in the region near Be’er Sheva. 

Dr Peter Fabian and Dr Daniel Varga revealed in a statement: ‘It is interesting to note that of the few lamps found depicting a menorah, these are never seven-branched. 

‘This was in accordance with a ruling in the Babylonian Talmud stating that only the menorah in the Temple could have seven branches and thus lamps used in domestic contexts commonly had eight to eleven branches. ‘ 

The half-acre site, the searchers claim, is evidence Jewish culture and practices stretched to the very edge of the Judea province and also suffered from the disruption of the time.   

The marquee finding of the haul is the nine-stemmed menorah (pictured), which some say may be a ‘hanukkiah,’ a menorah which has a total of nine flames and is used during Hanukkah

Typical Second Temple period Jewish vessels uncovered in the excavation near Tel Beer Sheva .The half-acre site, the searchers claim, is evidence Jewish culture and practices stretched to the very edge of the Judea province

Archaeologist Shira Bloch holding a 2,000-year old vessel discovered in the excavation. It is one of the only sites in the region where there is clear evidence of a thriving Jewish settlement

All the relics from the site’s inhabitants were found as part of a project orchestrated by academics from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev and the Israel Antiquities Authority ahead of a new residential town being built in the region near Be’er Sheva 

‘Signs of a conflagration discovered in some of the structures evince a crisis that the settlement experienced, probably that of the First Jewish Revolt in c. 70 CE,’ the lead excavators said. 

It is one of the only sites in the region where there is clear evidence of a thriving Jewish settlement. 

‘We don’t really have any Jewish sites from the Second Temple period in this area,’ said archaeologist Shira Bloch, the Times of Israel reports. 

‘Our excavation is large, complex and very interesting.’ 

There is little evidence, outside of the watch tower, of a military presence at the site as no swords, arrows or other weaponry was unearthed.