Givati Parking Lot

Since 2007, Doron Ben-Ami of Hebrew University and Yana Tchekhanovets of the Israel Antiquities Authority have been conducting a comprehensive excavation in the Givati Parking Lot, located in the Tyropoeon Valley, west of the entrance to the City of David. Excavation in the area by Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron had begun years earlier but was subsequently stopped. The Givati Parking Lot marks the largest active archaeological excavation in Jerusalem today and  is continuously uncovering different layers of the city's life from the Middle Ages to ancient times. The main finds include the basement floor of a large residential building from the end of the Second Temple period that may have been part of the royal property of Queen Helene, a queen who converted to Judaism and lived in the city during that time period. In addition, a massive residential building from the Roman period (measuring about 2 dunams or half an acre) yielded findings such as a gold earring inlaid with pearls and precious stones and a Roman boxer figurine, used as a weight. In a nearby building that dates from the Byzantine period, 264 gold coins were discovered. The coins have been dated to 613 C.E., the eve of the destruction of the city at the hands of the Persians. Above these layers, a number of layers of settlement from the Muslim period were found. 

Excavations Location 

 Following is the location of the dig on the map

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Map of Ancient Jerusalem

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Images 

Wed, 2012-01-18 12:40 — admin

Givati Parking Lot

Tue, 2012-01-17 11:55 — admin

Givati Parking Lot Excavation

Tue, 2012-01-17 11:57 — admin

Givati Parking Lot Excavation