An archeology group has discovered remains from what they believe is a second temple Jerusalem market.

A tabletop measuring device made of stone dating back 2,000 years has been discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

IAA says that the discovery supports the theory of a lower city Jerusalem. They believe that with this discovery, it is possible that they are currently excavating the historical market connecting Siloam Pool with the Temple Mount.

The device allows merchants to pour liquids into it, giving equal measurements each time. The IAA speculates it could have been used to sell wines and oils. They also discovered weighing stones in the same vicinity. 

"This is a rare find. Other stone artifacts were very popular in Jerusalem during the Second Temple, however so far, excavations in Jerusalem have only uncovered two similar tables that were used for measuring volume," Prof. Ronny Reich of the City of David Archeologists says in a press release.

Due to the large volume of measurement devices found, the group speculates that they have discovered the office of the inspector of measurements. Their job would have included controlling the weights of the city of Jerusalem before the city was destroyed by the Romans.

2,000-year-old central Jerusalem market found

A rare object which served as a uniform measurement of volume, dating back 2,000 years, was recently uncovered in our excavations at the City of David National Park. Also, tens of stone measurement weights were also discovered within the same vicinity. These all support the theory that this was the location of the main city square and market on route to the Temple during the Second Temple Period, in what was historically known as Jerusalem’s lower city! Take a look at the recent discovery >> http://bit.ly/2MXF384

Posted by Israel Antiquities Authority on Monday, January 6, 2020

 

The archeology group works to uncover hidden sites in Israel and make their history known to the public. Recently, they discovered a theatre that was eight meters underground.