Second Temple Period stone table unearthed near Beit El

A richly decorated stone table dating back to the Second Temple period has been unearthed in the archaeological site of Khirbet Kefar Mur near Beit El in the West Bank.

The rare artifact was found in an excavation conducted by the Archaeology Unit of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). It probably belonged to a wealthy family living in the Jewish settlement that stood on the site in the last centuries of the 1st millennia BCE.

The Archaeology Unit has been working in Khirbet Kefar Mur for over a decade. As explained by the director of the excavation Yevgeni Aharonovich in a paper in a 2016 issue of the journal In the Highland’s Depth, published by the University of Ariel, the site was settled from at least the 8th century BCE up to Byzantine times, with the early Roman period marking its heyday.

The COGAT archaeology unit is in charge of the management, preservation and access to the archaeological sites in the West Bank, and specifically in Israeli-controlled Area C.

In in Khirbet Kefar Mur, the archaeologists have uncovered the remains of residential buildings, ritual baths, an oil mill and many daily objects such as pottery and coins. A massive wall dating back to the Jewish Great Revolt in the 1st century CE was also found, which seemed to have been erected very fast to prepare for the war. Moreover, the remains of a church with a mosaic floor and a bathhouse from the Byzantine period also emerged.

According to the researchers, the stone table represents a rare discovery since only very few similar items have been uncovered in the region so far.

“I welcome the discovery of this impressive artifact, which adds to the wealth of other findings that we have unearthed at the Khirbet Kefar Mur archaeological site,” Civil Administration Archaeology Staff Officer Hanina Hizami commented in a press release. “We will continue to make new discoveries that testify to the rich history that took place in the Judea and Samaria area hundreds and even thousands of years ago.”

“The new findings that we are investigating add another layer to the Jewish history of the area, and to that purpose, the Archaeology Unit in the Civil Administration has been investing many efforts and resources over the years in order to research the archaeological findings at the site,” Hizami added and continued, “We will continue to work tirelessly to preserve the archaeological sites and national heritage and cultural assets throughout Judea and Samaria.”