Archaeologist Tehila Sadiel cleans a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Israeli archaeologists Tehila Sadiel (L) and Michael Chernin clean a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
The base of a column from the late Byzantine period stands in a room unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeologist Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon shows a marble and stone floor from the 10th century that was unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
An antiquity worker cleans a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Antiquity workers repair a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeologist Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon shows a marble and stone floor from the 10th century that was unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeologist Tehila Sadiel cleans a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archeologicalist Michael Chernin holds a clay oil lamp from the Abassid period that was excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Dr. Michael Chernin holds a zoomorphic day vessel from the Abassid period that was excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeological excavation finds of worked bone tolls from the Abassid period are displayed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeological excavation finds of clay oil lamps from the Abassid period are displayed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Archaeological excavation finds of clay oil lamps from the early Roman period are displayed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
A worker repairs a mosaic floor unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Israeli archaeologist Tehila Sadiel cleans a column from the late Byzantine period unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
Israeli archaeologist Tehila Sadiel cleans a column in a room from the Second Temple period unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI
May 19 (UPI) -- Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old underground compound near Jerusalem's Western Wall that hasn't been seen in generations, officials said Tuesday.
The Israeli Antiquities Authorities said the compound -- which has an open courtyard, two rooms and several household objects -- had been sealed during the Byzantine period some 1,400 years ago.
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Experts said it's the first time such a system has been uncovered near the Western Wall and could reveal what life was like in Jerusalem before the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.
Researchers say the complex was likely used by Jerusalem residents during the early Roman period. The system was sealed beneath the floor of a large and impressive structure from the Byzantine period, "waiting for some 2,000 years to be discovered," the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said.
"This is a unique finding," said excavation directors Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehila Sadiel. "This is the first time a subterranean system has been uncovered adjacent to the Western Wall."
"You must understand that 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, like today, it was customary to build out of stone. The question is, why were such efforts and resources invested in hewing rooms underground in the hard bedrock?"
Students from a pre-military preparatory program in Jerusalem working in cooperation with the IAA assisted in uncovering the location under the Beit Strauss complex.
Mordechai Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, said the finding should add to what researchers now know about Jerusalem.
"I am excited, on the eve of Jerusalem Day, to reveal to the Jewish nation a new treasure trove of impressive and fascinating findings that shed light on life in Jerusalem throughout the generations," Eliav said.
"This finding epitomizes the deep connection of Jews with Jerusalem, their capital. Even when there were physical limitations, prayer at the foot of the remnant of our Temple never ceased, and this is tangible evidence of this."