Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Religious vandalism in an ancient quarry

Ok..so it is not exactly vandalism, and the etched symbols are really a fantastic find for archaeologists:
Israeli archaeologists said on Sunday they had discovered the largest underground quarry in the Holy Land, dating back to the time of Jesus and containing Christian symbols etched into the walls.

The 4,000-square-meter (yard) cavern, buried 10 meters beneath the desert near the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, was dug about 2,000 years ago and was in use for about half a millennium, archaeologist Adam Zertal said.

The cave's main hall, about three meters tall, is supported by some 20 stone pillars and has a variety of symbols etched into the walls, including crosses dating back to about AD 350 and Roman legionary emblems.

Here is a short video from Scientific American/Reuters that takes you to this ancient quarry.


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