Follow up to this question that discusses the holiness of the stone that fell off the Western Wall.
What is the halachic status regarding any kedusha (holiness) in doing archeological excavations on the Temple Mount? When I last visited Jerusalem (too long ago - I'm overdue!) I recall seeing that to the left of the Kotel there were many deep excavations. My brother, a licensed tour guide explained that Jerusalem was built in layers. So, the top layer was built post-Temple period, but archeologist may have dug down to an area as far back as the 1st Temple period.
If any of these stones or, perhaps, if they find any remnants of 1st Temple utensils (a firepan or some other tools related to the sacrificial offerings, etc.) do these have holiness? What if there is a safek (doubt)? Archeologists find something but they aren't sure what it is or when it dates from? Can they dig further, or can they take a sample to a lab to determine what it is? Or do they need to err on the cautious side and assume that it might have kedusha?
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