Israeli archeologists inspecting ongoing unauthorized Muslim excavations and building projects atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount last week discovered artifacts dating to the First Temple Period.
During the visit to the Muslim-occupied and controlled holy hill, the archeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority examined a deep gash the Muslims had cut into the floor of the compound, revealing a layer of remains they were able to positively date to the eighth to sixth centuries BC.
The artifacts discovered at the site included fragments of bowls decorated in a style characteristic of the First Temple Period, jars for the storage of oil and juglets used to ladle the oil during religious ceremonies.
The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to hold an archeological seminar regarding the find.
Muslim officials at the site continue to insist that an Israeli temple never sat atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount and that the Jews have no legitimate historical connection to the area.