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JOE UZIEL , CITY OF DAVID

BENEFICIAL BONES. Although the prophet Amos notes an earthquake that devastated Judah during his days (1:1), archaeologists working in Jerusalem had found no evidence for such destruction. Two recently discovered animal skeletons, however, are silent witnesses of the tragic event. In a building on the eastern slopes of the City of David, a piglet was found trapped among destroyed pottery vessels (shown here). Pottery and radiocarbon analysis date the destruction to the mid-eighth century BCE. Since Jerusalem did not fall to the hands of the Assyrians, this building was likely renovated at this time as a result of the earthquake.