Israeli archaeologists with the Temple Mount Sifting Project announced the discovery, in October 2016, of the first artifacts found at the Temple Mount site that were officially and conclusively dated to the First Temple period. The artifacts, including olive pits, animal bones, pottery fragments, Roman coins, and arrowheads, had been collected by the sifting project between 2007 and 2015. The discoveries were announced during a press conference held by the Israeli Antiquities Authority at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on October 26, 2016, during which the group gave their most detailed presentation to date about their findings on the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount Sifting Project is the first effort at sanctioned archaeological study on the Temple Mount since the 1930's.
Following the press conference, the items that had been excavated over the past decade were displayed at the Antiquities Authority's headquarters in Jerusalem.
