City of David: Unsolved Puzzle of Sharks' Teeth Discovery

Uncovering Ancient Secrets in Jerusalem's City of David

In a fascinating discovery, archaeologists have unearthed a cache of fossilized shark teeth in Jerusalem's City of David. These fossils, dating back to the time of King Solomon's immediate descendants, offer a glimpse into the lives of people who lived in the region thousands of years ago.

The shark teeth, found in a 2900-year-old site, are Late Cretaceous fossils, contemporary with dinosaurs. Interestingly, they were not weathered out of the bedrock beneath the site but were probably transported from afar, possibly from the Negev, at least 80 km away.

The teeth were discovered buried in material used to fill in a basement before conversion to a large Iron-Age house. They were found together with fish bones, pottery, and hundreds of bullae, suggesting a possible connection with the administrative or governing class.

The shark teeth identified come from several species, including from the extinct Late Cretaceous group Squalicorax. The Squalicorax, which grew to between 2 and 5 metres long, lived only during the Late Cretaceous period and acts as a reference point in dating these fossils.

Dr. Tuetken, the lead researcher, suggests that the teeth were brought together by collectors, but there is no concrete evidence to support this theory. Dr. Brooke Crowley (University of Cincinnati), who edited the paper for the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, emphasizes the importance of minimizing assumptions in research and the benefits of using multiple tools to answer a research question.

The authors of the study used strontium and oxygen isotopes, as well as x-ray diffraction and trace element analysis to establish the age and origin of the fossil teeth. The paper relating to the Jerusalem finds has been published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8:570032.

This groundbreaking discovery offers a more interesting story about the people who lived in the region in the past. For those interested in learning more, the link to access the publication is: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.570032.

It's worth noting that the Goldschmidt Conference, the World's main geochemistry conference, is being hosted virtually from 4-9 July 2021, with the 2022 conference scheduled to take place in Hawaii. This conference could provide further insights into the study of ancient fossils and their significance.

The house where the fossils were found was situated in the City of David, one of the oldest parts of Jerusalem, now found in the largely Palestinian village of Silwan. Similar fossils had not been previously uncovered in other parts of ancient Judea, making this find even more intriguing.

The team has found other shark teeth fossils elsewhere in Israel, at the Maresha and Miqne sites. As research continues, we may uncover even more secrets about the people who lived in this region thousands of years ago.