(Jewish Press) The initial discovery was made by Benjamin Troper, the training coordinator of the Kfar Etzion field school, who suddenly, while aiding a troubled tourist down a deep cave south of Jerusalem, turned to look at the nearby wall and saw an ancient stone column.
I had gone down that hole dozens of times, Tropper told Makor Rishon, but this was the first time, because I was helping the tourist, that I came down looking in that direction.
What he saw was a bona fide ancient column with a crown, which he recognized from his years as tour guide and from the time he spent working in excavating ancient Jerusalem.