Stone vessels unearthed inside the ancient workshop.  (Samuel Magal, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

Archaeologists excavating a site in Reina, in the Lower Galilee region of Israel, have uncovered what they believe was a production site for the manufacture of stone mugs and bowls that were used by Jews in the area who adhered to very strict purity laws 2,000 years ago.

The excavators unearthed a cave in which they found thousands of chalkstone cores and other types of production waste, including fragments of stone mugs and bowls in various stages of production, the Israel Antiquities Authority reported.

The stone vessels provide a tantalizing link to the New Testament story of the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle — transforming water held in six stone containers into wine.