Archaeologists find Byzantine era road

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Archaeologists working under the direction of the Israeli Antiquities Authority have uncovered a 1,500-year-old road running through the center of Jerusalem's Old City.

Excavation director Dr. Ofer Sion said the discovery lends further credence to the accuracy of what is known as the Madaba Map -- a Byzantine period mosaic map of the Holy Land that depicts an entrance into Jerusalem that leads to a single central street.

Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have made various finds to suggest the Madaba map was geographically correct, but the road depicted in the mosaic had not been found.

"It is proof of this beautiful map and for this street from the Byzantine period," Sion told reporters at the dig location.

The ancient road was found near the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem's Old City 4.5 meters under current street level when municipality workers initiated an infrastructure improvement project. The road dates from the period when Jerusalem was under Christian control and was constructed with large flagstones of more than a meter in length.

The road connected the western wall of the city to the eastern side of Jerusalem, Sion said. When the street was in use according to Sion, "hundreds of thousands of people are reaching the city, pilgrims from all over the world, and they are coming to Jerusalem and entering through the gate and going down the center, to the market of the city. They are going down in this street."

Next to the road archaeologists also discovered a stone foundation which supported a sidewalk and a row of columns. "It is wonderful to see that David Street, which is teeming with so much life today, actually preserved the route of the noisy street from 1,500 years ago," Sion said.

Other artifacts discovered in the excavation included coins, pottery vessels, and five bronze weights that are believed to have been used by merchants for weighing precious metals.

The Madaba map, is a large 8 X 16 meter mosaic located in the apse of the church of Saint George in Madaba, Jordan. It is the oldest known cartographic representation of the Holy Land and at it's center is a detailed depiction of Jerusalem in the sixth century AD.

The mosaic has served as a guide to historians and archaeologists to what Byzantine period Jerusalem may have looked like and depicts many landmarks that survive until this day including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Damascus Gate.

Source: www.cnn.com...

Saw this and figured I would share. Not much to comment on, except to say that it is always fascinating when archaeology discovers thing that were previously know only through writings, art, etc.

Enjoy!

so you have no opinions or insights on this whatsoever?

uh... ok.

so like, did this change anyone's view on .. uh .. something?

is this uh ... important?

Originally posted by Coolstorybro
so you have no opinions or insights on this whatsoever?

uh... ok.

so like, did this change anyone's view on .. uh .. something?

is this uh ... important?

Thanks for your input. I believe that given the fact that there is a forum dedicated to Ancient & Lost Civilizations, then YES, it is of importance to those that frequent this area.

Important to you? Not so much I can see....or is it? As you took the time to be rude and comment on something you deem....unworthy?

reply to post by Aggie Man


Haha, I kind of had the same thoughts as I was reading the OP, but I'm still glad you posted it. I may not find the story very interesting, but anything that gives us a more accurate portrayal of history is great in my book. Oh yeah, and Hook 'em Horns!

The only thing I find interesting is this.

Why do they always have to excavate down many feet to find ancient ruins but a geologist will swear the earth is not growing in diameter.

If it is not wouldn't all the ancient ruins just be lying there on the top?

Even if it is not expanding in the pure sense doesn't a 20 foot layer of dirt laid on top eventual increase the diameter?

How the heck did they all get buried to begin with?

reply to post by Oneolddude

Even if it is not expanding in the pure sense doesn't a 20 foot layer of dirt laid on top eventual increase the diameter? How the heck did they all get buried to begin with?

The Earth is geologically active and subject to seasonal changes in the weather. The climate changes over millenia. Land masses are moving and mountain ranges are rising or sinking...just like the sea levels.

The upshot of these processes is erosion and movement of mass from one place to another. Picture the Grand Canyon. It's there due to water and climate erosion....worn away over thousands of years. What was there is now a part of another area. An area that was say, one foot above sea-level a 100 years ago...could be above or below sea-level today.

Interesting, but not at all surprising.

"To discover" that is a strange phrase, indeed. Fore archaeologists never discover anything new, but instead collect pieces of a memory of ancient knowledge to form a very narrow-minded picture - their discovery.
"To remember" however, now that is a phrase worth saying.
So strange how the human mind just moves on.

reply to post by Aggie Man


i wasn't complaining about the article. you missed my point. you're supposed to give a damn about the thing syou post here. otherwise you're just trolling for points. if you can be bothered to have an opinion abou tyour own thread why should we?

Interesting find, but actually is not a surprise taking into consideration the ancient history of Jerusalem, the many wars and many times that the city was destroyed, burn, rebuild again and again upon ruins.

Any where that is excavations in places like Jerusalem somebody always will find something.

Originally posted by Coolstorybro
reply to post by Aggie Man

 

i wasn't complaining about the article. you missed my point. you're supposed to give a damn about the thing syou post here. otherwise you're just trolling for points. if you can be bothered to have an opinion abou tyour own thread why should we?

Me trolling for points? I think I got plenty "bro". However, I did comment, so

The reason I post stuff like this is because

1. I find it fascinating; and more importantly
2. This could be a piece of information that jars someone's memory and/or gives them a key piece of information on a research topic.

believe it or not, there are plenty of conspiracies in archaeology...