Metal fish hooks, dozens of lead weights and a large bronze bell were among the finds. Photo: Clara Amit/Israel Antiquities Authority.

JNS.org – A fisherman’s house from the Ottoman period was uncovered in an archeological excavation on the beach in Ashkelon, the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed Tuesday.

Two of the buildings discovered were used as a fisherman’s house and a watch tower on a hilltop overlooking the beach and Mediterranean Sea.

“This is the first time that a building was exposed in Ashkelon that we can attribute with certainty to the fishing industry,” excavation directors Federico Kobrin and Haim Mamliya said in a prepared statement.

The excavation was conducted by young residents of Ashkelon at the initiative of the Ashkelon Economic Company and led by the Israel Antiquities Authority as a way to educate local youth about their past history.

“The young people participated in uncovering part of their city’s past; they labored diligently and conscientiously, showed their interest and curiosity regarding the finds, and it was a pleasure to work with them,” Kobrin said.