Press Release www.israntique.org.il

The southern end of ancient Jerusalem, from when the city was at its
largest, was recently discovered in the form of an impressive city wall
2,100 years old

A large excavation which is being conducted by the Israel Antiquities
Authority together with the Nature and Parks Authority, and underwritten by
the Ir David
Foundation, was presented in a press conference that was held today
(Wednesday)

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.

Link for downloading images:
www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14

Picture of the excavation area. Photograph: Tsilla Sagiv, courtesy of the
Israel Antiquities Authority.
Aerial photograph of the excavation, Mount Zion Valley. Photograph: Skyview,
courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Pictures of small finds from the excavation:
Bowl shard from the Late Roman Period (3-4 CE) - Photo by Klara Amit, Israel
Antiquities Authority
One of the excavator's shoe soles, dated to the late 19th Century from Bliss
& Dickie expedition - Photo by Klara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority
Beer bottle, from the late 19th Century, marked 'Jerusalem', from Bliss &
Dickie expedition - Photo by Klara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authorit