Israel: Neolithic 'mega site' discovered near Jerusalem

W/S Archaeologists digging, Motza
M/S Archaeologists digging
M/S Archaeologists digging
M/S Archaeologist digging
M/S Archaeologist digging
M/S Archaeologist digging
M/S Archaeologist digging
M/S Archaeologist excavating
M/S Archaeologist brushing
W/S Excavation site
M/S Excavation site
M/S Excavation site
M/S Dwelling units
M/S Dwelling units
SOT, Dr. Jacob Vardi, Antiquities Authority, Director of the excavations: ''What we found during this excavation is a mega site, a very large Neolithic village, it's size estimated between 30 to 40 hectares, we excavated quite a lot of it. It's unprecedented in this area to find a village of this magnitude''
M/S Excavation site
SOT, Dr. Jacob Vardi, Antiquities Authority, Director of the excavations: ''The age of this site is 9000 years old, you can compare it in its magnitude to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, a large city of today, and the interesting thing is that we were not aware that there is a Neolithic settlement that is that large in this area.''
W/S Excavation site
SOT, Dr. Jacob Vardi, Antiquities Authority, Director of the excavations: ''We found dwelling units, hundreds of dwelling units, we found public houses, and structures that were probably used to conduct rituals. We have a cheo-botanical evidence that they were dealing with intensified crop agriculture, we found storages with hundreds of thousands of seeds.''
W/S Excavation site
SOT, Dr. Jacob Vardi, Antiquities Authority, Director of the excavations: ''The site was planned, we have planned streets at the site, we have large complexes, and dwelling units are found within the large complex, and it is amazing to see this 9000 years ago already.''
M/S Archaeological findings
C/U Archaeological findings
M/S Archaeologist working
M/S Archaeologist working
M/S Sign 'Israel Antiquities Authority'
SCRIPT
A massive Neolithic settlement has been unearthed in Motza outside Jerusalem as seen on Tuesday.
The site was uncovered as construction for a new road was underway. The Israel Antiquities Authority estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 people used to live at the site which makes it one of the largest such settlements ever discovered in the region.
The excavations uncovered large buildings, public facilities, temples, arrowheads, jewelry and other relics. Items from locations found in present day Turkey, Egypt and Syria were found at the site suggesting it played a role in a regional Neolithic trade network, according to academics cited in reports.
“You can compare this settlement in its magnitude to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, a large city of today, and the interesting thing is that we were not aware that there is a Neolithic settlement that large in this area,” said Dr. Jacob Vardi, Antiquities Authority and director of the excavations.