World News
Ancient commercial complex from early Islamic periods discovered in Ramat Gan
Archaeologists uncovered a 1,300-year-old trade and industrial site ahead of bus terminal construction near Tel Aviv
The short version
- Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered a sprawling 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial hub in Ramat Gan.
- The discovery was made ahead of construction for a new bus terminal near a historic route connecting Jaffa, Ramla, and Jerusalem.
- The site features an organized layout with straight, intersecting streets, shops, warehouses, pottery kilns, and numerous domestic and commercial artifacts.
Key facts
- The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a 1,300-year-old commercial and industrial complex in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv.[Fox News]
- The complex dates back to the seventh or eighth century A.D. during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.[Fox News]
- Excavation directors Yoav Arbel and Lior Rauchberger stated the site was highly organized and likely built with the involvement or funding of regional authorities.[Fox News]
- Artifacts recovered from the excavation include bronze tableware, cosmetic tools, iron pickaxes, dozens of coins, and glass and pottery fragments.[Fox News]
- The site was abandoned after 150 years of operation, resettled with residential buildings and clay-baking ovens in the 10th century, and permanently abandoned in the late 11th century before the Crusaders arrived.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- Archaeologists do not yet know the specific religious or ethnic identity of the community that inhabited the site, as the region housed diverse Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Samaritan populations at the time.[Fox News]
- The circumstances behind the original abandonment of the complex after its initial 150 years of operation remain unknown.[Fox News]