Israeli archaeologists discover 2,000-year-old decorated table

JERUSALEM, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered an ancient stone table with decorations on its side, the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank said Thursday.

Hananya Hizmi, Head Staff Officer of the Administration's archaeology department, told Xinhua that the table dates back almost 2,000 years, just a few years before the destruction of Jerusalem and its Second Jewish Temple by the Roman Empire.

The unique item was found among the remains of a Jewish town discovered at an archeological site in today's Jewish settlement of Beit El, north of the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

According to archaeologists, the stone table was used for decoration, apparently in a home of a wealthy family.

Excavations at the site over the past decade revealed many findings that date from the eighth century BC to the eighth century AD, including homes, ritual baths, an industrial olive press, a Byzantine church paved with mosaic, and a bathhouse.