--- title: "Archaeologists find 7th-century trade hub beneath Ramat Gan stadium site" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/tech/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/tech/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site" category: "Science & Tech" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-08-16T15:05:55.342Z" source_reported: "2026-08-16T13:57:47.586Z" updated: "2026-08-16T15:05:55.342Z" trust_score: 62 critic_score: 59 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-16T16:15:38.874174+00:00" --- # Archaeologists find 7th-century trade hub beneath Ramat Gan stadium site *Excavations ahead of bus terminal construction reveal streets, kilns and coins from Umayyad and Abbasid periods* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 62 of 100, higher is better. Two independent full reports name IAA directors Yoav Arbel and Lior Rauchberger as sources. - Craft 59 of 100, higher is better. The article provides specific dates, locations and figures, and reads as a coherent single story. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headline matches the factual content without exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered a 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial complex beneath a parking lot in Ramat Gan during excavations for a bus terminal. - The site dates to the 7th or 8th century CE, spanning the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and was operational for about 150 years before being abandoned and later resettled. - Archaeologists found streets, pottery kilns, bronze tableware, coins and intact oil lamps, suggesting a major trade or industrial hub near a historic road linking Jaffa, Ramla and Jerusalem. - The complex will be opened to the public for one day on 19 August before being covered to preserve it. Archaeologists in Ramat Gan, Israel, have uncovered a 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial complex beneath the Winter Stadium parking lot. The site, which dates to the 7th or 8th century CE, includes intersecting streets, pottery kilns and industrial buildings. It was discovered during excavations ahead of the construction of a bus terminal by Netivei Ayalon. The complex was operational for about 150 years before being abandoned, then resettled in the 10th century CE. Residents built new structures and installed clay baking ovens. The site was abandoned again in the late 11th century CE, before the Crusader conquest, and has not been resettled since. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported finding dozens of pottery vessels, intact oil lamps, bronze tableware, iron tools, coins and fragments of local and imported glass. The IAA excavation directors, Dr. Yoav Arbel and Lior Rauchberger, said the complex was planned in advance by engineers and likely built with the knowledge of regional authorities. They suggested it may have served as a major trade and industrial station or part of an undiscovered nearby settlement. The site is near a historic road connecting Jaffa, Ramla and Jerusalem, and offers fertile land and water sources. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the discovery demonstrates Israel’s archaeological wealth. The IAA will hold a public viewing day on 19 August before covering the site to preserve it. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the public viewing day on 19 August. The left-rated digest did not report the planned streets, the later Fatimid period resettlement, the specific artefacts found, or the public viewing day. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 13% (1) - Centre: 24% (2) - Right: 63% (5) 1 of 9 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-16T16:15:38.874174+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-16T16:45:26.333Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The single left-rated digest, from Zeit Online, led on the discovery of an industrial area in Ramat Gan. It noted the site likely dates to the 7th or 8th century CE but did not mention the planned streets, the later Fatimid period resettlement, the specific artefacts found, or the public viewing day. ### Centre - The Jerusalem Post, the centre-rated report, led on the site as an "ancient shopping center" and detailed the planned streets, pottery kilns and industrial buildings. It quoted the IAA excavation directors on the complex’s advanced planning and possible funding by regional authorities. The report included the full timeline of abandonment and resettlement, the artefacts found, and the upcoming public viewing day. ### Right - All five right-rated digests led on the discovery of a 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial complex in Ramat Gan. The digests from WIN, Jewish News Syndicate and Cleveland Jewish News noted the planned streets, pottery kilns, shops and warehouses. WIN and Cleveland Jewish News specified the Umayyad and Abbasid periods and the 150-year operational span. None of the digests mentioned the later Fatimid period resettlement, the specific artefacts found, or the public viewing day. - Arutz Sheva, the only right-rated full report, led with the question of whether the streets were the oldest in Ramat Gan. It quoted the IAA excavation directors at length on the complex’s planning and location near the historic road. The report included the full timeline of abandonment and resettlement, the artefacts found, and the ethnic diversity of the region’s population during the period. It did not mention the public viewing day. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 6 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Deutschlandfunk](https://deutschlandfunk.de/forscher-in-israel-entdecken-1-300-jahre-altes-industriegebiet-neben-fussball-stadion-102.html) — Archaeology - Researchers in Israel Discover 1,300 Years Old "Industrial Area" Next to Football Stadium - [Welt](https://welt.de/wissenschaft/article6a81a53a169e8e32c0aea2bb/geschichte-von-ingenieuren-sorgsam-geplant-archaeologen-finden-1300-jahre-altes-industriegebiet-in-israel.html) — History: "Planned Carefully by Engineers" – Archaeologists Find 1300-Year-Old "Industrial Area" in Israel - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/archaeology/article-905656) — Ancient shopping center unearthed during excavations prior to construction in central Israel - [Zeit Online](https://zeit.de/wissenschaft/2026-08/archaeologie-israel-ausgrabung-ramat-gan-tel-aviv) — Tel Aviv: 1,300 Years Old Industrial Area Discovered in Israel - [WIN](https://worldisraelnews.com/1300-year-old-industrial-commercial-complex-uncovered-in-ramat-gan) — 1,300-year-old industrial, commercial complex uncovered in Ramat Gan - [Jewish News Syndicate](https://jns.org/news/israel-news/1-300-year-old-industrial-commercial-complex-uncovered-in-ramat-gan) — 1,300-year-old industrial, commercial complex uncovered in Ramat Gan - [Cleveland Jewish News](https://clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/1-300-year-old-industrial-commercial-complex-uncovered-in-ramat-gan/article_c8780852-e13a-58d4-a484-f0a5d98825fe.html) — 1,300-year-old industrial, commercial complex uncovered in Ramat Gan - [Arutz Sheva](https://israelnationalnews.com/news/431757) — Have the oldest streets in Ramat Gan been uncovered? - [Unknown](https://travel.walla.co.il/item/3860805) — Under the Parking Lot of Winter Stadium: A 1,300-Year-Old City Was Discovered in Ramat Gan - Walla Tourism ## Questions **What was discovered in Ramat Gan?** Archaeologists uncovered a 1,300-year-old industrial and commercial complex beneath a parking lot in Ramat Gan, Israel. The site includes intersecting streets, pottery kilns and industrial buildings dating to the 7th or 8th century CE. It was operational for about 150 years before being abandoned and later resettled. **When was the Ramat Gan complex built and abandoned?** The complex was built in the 7th or 8th century CE during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. It was operational for about 150 years before being abandoned, then resettled in the 10th century CE. It was abandoned again in the late 11th century CE, before the Crusader conquest. **What did archaeologists find at the site?** Archaeologists found intersecting streets, pottery kilns, industrial buildings, dozens of pottery vessels, intact oil lamps, bronze tableware, iron tools, coins and fragments of local and imported glass. The site suggests a major trade or industrial hub near a historic road linking Jaffa, Ramla and Jerusalem. **Will the public be able to see the Ramat Gan site?** The Israel Antiquities Authority will hold a public viewing day on 19 August. Afterward, the site will be covered to preserve it. The Jerusalem Post and Arutz Sheva reported this, but none of the right-rated digests mentioned it. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/tech/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Archaeologists find 7th-century trade hub beneath Ramat Gan stadium site", https://mediabias.news/tech/archaeologists-find-7th-century-trade-hub-beneath-ramat-gan-stadium-site