From November 2008–January 2009, an excavation was conducted in an army camp on the eastern slopes of Mount Scopus (Permit No. A-5553; map ref. 2237/6634). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Ministry of Defense, was directed by Y. Billig, with the assistance of T. Kornfeld and M. Kunin (surveying), B. Antin (drafting), Y. Bukengolts (pottery restoration), I. Lidski-Resnikov (drawing of finds), and C. Amit (studio photography).
A quarry (Figs. 1, 2) was discovered; its western part was fairly steep (up to 2 m) and the steps elsewhere in the quarry were one stone high (c. 0.35 m). It seems that most of the removed stones were of similar size (0.35 × 0.35 × 0.65 m). Two of the steep steps in the west of the quarry terminated in opposite curves, perhaps toward a vault-like closing. This is probably the initial building step of a structure or an underground installation that was not completed. Very few finds were discovered. The potsherds dated to the Second Temple and the Byzantine–Early Islamic periods and included a fragment (3 cm) of a terra sigillata vessel, bearing a decoration in relief or perhaps a stamped impression of the potter’s name (Fig. 3:1) and a small juglet with incised decoration from the Byzantine period (Fig. 3:2). Another find was a long narrow piece of marble (a handle?), which is flat on the bottom and curved on top (Fig. 3:3).