Southern Wall of Jerusalem from the Second Temple
Period Discovered in Excavations on Mt. Zion
The Southern Wall of Jerusalem, dating to the time of the
Hasmonean dynasty, was discovered on Mount Zion.
 |
Picture of the excavation area.
Photo
by Tsilla Sagiv / Israel Antiquities
Authority |
(IFM)
An exciting discovery in Jerusalem, constituting extraordinary
remains of the wall of the city from the time of the Second
Temple (second century BCE-70 CE) that was built by the Hasmonean
kings and was destroyed during the Great Revolt, and also
the
remains of a city wall from the Byzantine period (324-640
CE) which was built on top of it, were uncovered in an extensive
excavation that is currently underway on Mount Zion. The
lines
of these fortifications delineated Jerusalem from the south
in periods when the ancient city had reached its largest size.
The new finds were presented today (Wednesday) at a press
conference that was held on Mount Zion. The excavation has
been in progress for the past year and a half, under the direction
of archaeologist Yehiel Zelinger of the Israel Antiquities
Authority, in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority
and with financial support provided by the Ir David Foundation.
The project is being implemented as part of the master plan
for the Jerusalem City Wall National Park, the purpose of which
is to preserve the region around the Old City of Jerusalem
as an open area for tourism. In the future the remains of the
ancient city walls will be incorporated in a promenade that
will encircle the southern side of Mount Zion and will continue
along the northern bank of Gai Ben Hinnom and terminate in
the City of David.
The lines of the wall that delineate Mount Zion from the west
and the south were first discovered and excavated at the end
of the nineteenth century (1894-1897) by the Palestine Exploration
Fund, under the direction of the archaeologist Frederick Jones
Bliss and his architect assistant, Archibald Dickie. The work
methods they employed involved the excavation of shafts that
were linked by subterranean tunnels which ran along the outer
face of the city walls.
Over the years their shafts and
tunnels have filled up with soil and a year and a half ago
when archaeologists were asked
to determine the location of the areas that were excavated
one hundred years ago they were unsuccessful in doing so. By
cross-referencing the plans of the old excavation with updated
maps of the area from today archaeologist Yehiel Zelinger was
able to locate the tunnel which the British expedition had
dug. There remained in it “souvenirs” that were
left behind by the early excavators in the form of one of the
laborer’s shoes, the top of a gas light which was used
to illuminate the tunnels, as well as fragments of beer and
wine bottles from 120 years ago.
According to Yehiel Zelinger,
excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Having located
the two city walls on Mount Zion corroborates our theory regarding
the expansion of the city toward the south during these two
periods, when Jerusalem reached its largest size. In the Second
Temple period, the city, with the temple at its center, was
a focal point for Jewish pilgrimage from all over the ancient
world and in the Byzantine period it attracted Christian pilgrims
who came in the footsteps of the story of the life and death
of their messiah. The exposure of the Hasmonean city wall and
the line of fortifications from the Byzantine period, which
is dated 400 years later and is right on top of the former,
prove that this is the most advantageous topographic location
for the defense of the city. The artifacts indicate that in
spite of the fact that the builders of the Byzantine wall were
unaware of the existence of the wall from the time of the Second
Temple they constructed their wall precisely along the same
route”. Zelinger adds, “The fact that after 2,100
years the remains of the first city wall were preserved to
a height of three meters is amazing. This is one of the most
beautiful and complete sections of construction in the Hasmonean
building style to be found in Jerusalem”.
Additional Information and Details
The Byzantine Period City Wall
Christian pilgrims of the fifth and sixth centuries CE ascribe
the line of the city wall’s construction to the Empress
Eudocia, the estranged wife of Emperor Theodosius II. According
to the historical sources of this period, the city wall was
erected because of a biblical verse that appears in the Book
of Psalms (51:20), “Do good in thy favor unto Zion;
Build Thou the walls of Jerusalem”. In translating
the Bible to Greek the word that meant “do good in
thy favor” was translated with a word that greatly
resembled the name of the empress. Eudocia therefore concluded
that the reference was explicitly intended for her and that
it was she who was destined to build the walls of Jerusalem.
In the excavation a section of the city wall was uncovered
that rises to a maximum height of 3.30 meters and is approximately
2.50 meters wide. The wall was built of stones that were
specifically quarried and dressed for this purpose; however,
one can also discern some of the stones in its construction
were probably taken from nearby ancient fortifications.
The Fortifications of the Second Temple Period
South of the line of fortifications from the Byzantine period
and at a depth of approximately 4 meters below the elevation
of its base, a tower that is preserved to a height of 3.20
meters was exposed which dates to the time of the Hasmonean
Dynasty (the Second Temple period). The tower was built on
the bedrock which was straightened and made fairly level.
It was constructed of large stones that are characterized
by a dressed boss in their center, with no bonding material
between them. The “header-stretcher” construction
method used in building the tower is typical of the Hasmonean
period. The tower was part of the line of the “First
Wall” that is described by Josephus. Other sections
of the “First Wall” were revealed at the base
of the western wall of the Ottoman city wall, in David’s
Citadel and in other excavations that were conducted in the
Jewish Quarter. The soil fill and the pottery sherds that
abut the city wall prove that it was used until the time
of the Great Revolt and the destruction of Jerusalem and
the temple in the year 70 CE. Afterwards, the stones of the
wall were taken for secondary use, probably in order to build “Aelia
Capitolina”, the Roman colony which the emperor Hadrian
established on the ruins of Jerusalem in the year 131 CE.