An archaeological site used for the production of stone vessels during the Bayis Sheni era was uncovered on the eastern slopes of Mt. Scopus in Yerushalayim following the arrest of a gang of antiquities thieves this week, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Tuesday.

The IAA notes that the workshop produced vessels for Jews some 2,000 years ago, a period when the use of stone was prevalent due to the halachos of tumah and taharah.

The discovery was made by the IAA’s Theft Prevention Unit. Inspectors noticed “fresh excavation marks at the Ras Tamim antiquities site,” which raised suspicions of illegal activity. Following “covert surveillance and an ambush,” five suspects were arrested late at night. They were found in possession of excavation equipment, including a generator, excavating tools, and a metal detector.

The suspects are expected to be indicted for illegal excavation and causing damage to an antiquities site.

Inside the underground cave where the workshop operated, archaeologists discovered “hundreds of stone fragments, production waste, and unfinished items.”

Researchers emphasized the location’s importance for people traveling to the Beis Hamikdash for the Shalosh Regalim.

“The discovery of this workshop, alongside huge water reservoirs and a mikveh from the Bayit Sheni period, testifies to the centrality of this site some 2,000 years ago, as it was located on the main road that Jewish pilgrims used when coming to Yerushalayim from the east,” the researchers said.

The stone vessels from the workshop are now on public display in a new exhibition at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Yerushalayim.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the IAA revealed that a rare stone seal from the era of Malchus Yehudah (8th century BCE) was discovered during construction at the Ein Tut Interchange in northern Israel.

The seal features intricate carvings, including four pomegranates on the upper section. The other two sections contain an ancient Hebrew inscription reading: “Belonging to Makhach (son of) Amichai.”