Archeologists overseeing contested Islamic infrastructure work on Jerusalem's Temple Mount have stumbled on a sealed archeological level dating back to the First Temple period.

SHARDS discovered during infrastructure work on the Temple Mount are decorated with wheel burnishing lines characteristic of the First Temple period, archeologists say.
Photo: Courtesy

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced that the find marks the first time archeological remains dating back to the First Temple period have been found on the contested holy site. No archeological excavations have ever been carried out on the Mount due to opposition from religious leaders.

The sealed level, dated from the eighth to the sixth centuries BCE, was exposed at the end of August in the area close to the southeastern corner of the raised platform surrounding the Dome of the Rock.

Look for extensive coverage of this discovery in next month's magazine.