JERUSALEM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have discovered a magnificent staircase that dates back to 3,500 years ago in the northern part of Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reported on Wednesday.
The stairs were discovered during excavations to expose the palace of Hazor, which was the largest and most important Canaanite city in the Levant (the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin).
The stairs led from the wide cobblestone courtyard to the main entrance of the palace.
The staircase, about 4.5 meters wide, consists of basalt slabs. So far, seven steps have been exposed, and the archaeologists estimate that more steps will be unveiled in the direction of the palace.
The palace was destroyed about 3,400 years ago by a great fire in which the entire Canaanite city was ruined.
According to the archaeologists, the stairs indicate the architectural strength and grandeur of the palace.
In the past, Egyptian scarabs, 40 huge storage vessels, many basalt tools, raw materials related to the palace's workshops were found in the palace.
Four royal inscriptions were discovered as well, three of them in Egyptian hieroglyphics writing and one in Akkadian language.
Two of the inscriptions were found on fragments of Egyptian statues: a Sphinx fragment of the Egyptian King Menkaure, who ruled around 2,500 BC, and an Egyptian official statue, who lived in the 18-19 centuries BC.
Tel Hazor, where the excavations are conducted, is declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
