Ancient pottery shards found in Jerusalem

Pottery fragments from 2,700 years ago have been discovered in excavations in the City of David in Jerusalem's Old City, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. Fragments of candle-holders, ceramics and figurines dating back to the period of the First Temple were discovered in the excavations located south of the Temple Mount, authority officials told a Sunday news conference. One of the most exciting finds is the remains of a ceramic bowl with a partial inscription in ancient Hebrew which dates back 2,700 years ago, archaeologists said. Archaeologists Dr. Joe Uziel and Nahshon Zanton said the bowl is estimated to be from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem under King Judah Zedekiah, around 586 BC. It was "engraved on the bowl prior to firing, indicating that the inscription originally adorned the rim of the bowl in its entirety, and was not written on a shard after the vessel was broken," the archaeologists said. It will be displayed on Aug. 29 at the 14th City of David Research Exhibition, the authority said.