Doug has a fascinating post on an exciting archeological find:
Discovery of ancient seal validates Biblical account
A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.
Additonally, the Israel Antiquity Authority has an article on the later temple, Impressive Second Temple Period Ediface is Discovered in the City of David
In the Antiquities Authority excavations which are being carried out with the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation, an impressive architectural complex has been partially uncovered that includes massive foundations, walls – some of which are preserved to a height in excess of five meters and made of stones that weigh hundreds of kilograms, halls that are preserved to a height of at least two stories, a basement level that was covered with vaults, remains of polychrome frescoes, water installations and ritual baths (miqve’ot).
Evidence of the drama which transpired within it prior to its destruction by the Romans in the year 70 CE can be seen in the narrow openings that were discovered in the basement level through which its inhabitants attempted to flee. Much of the structure was intentionally demolished at that time: the stones from the walls and the ceilings of the upper stories were discovered mixed inside the destruction layer that accumulated on the floor of the basement. Among the finds recovered are pottery vessels, stone vessels and coins that date to the end of the Second Temple period.
These are the ancestors of the people of Israel, of all the Jews. Any attempt to disconnect the history of Jerusalem with the present-day Jews should be derided.
