The structure in which shattered jugs were found, attesting to the destruction. (Picture: Eliyahu Yanai, Courtesy of the City of David Archive) 

Archaeologists excavating the City of David in Israel’s Jerusalem Walls National Park have uncovered charred wood, grape seeds, pottery, fish scales and bones and numerous rare artifacts that date back to the city’s demise at the hands of the Babylonians more than 2,600 years ago.

Among the findings, which depict the affluence and character of ancient Jerusalem, capital of the Judean Kingdom, were dozens of jars used to store grain and liquids. Many of them have stamped handles and seals that depict a rosette.