Finds of the Second Temple Period from the New Exc

This short article reviews the remains relating to the pre-Herodian period and until the destruction in the year 70 CE that were discovered in the new excavations which were conducted south of the Temple Mount. The excavations were carried out in two areas: one next to the Eastern Hulda Gate (the Triple Gate) and the other near the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. These excavations are mainly continuations of those begun by the archaeological expedition directed by Benjamin Mazar and Meir Ben Dov.

The Excavations in Front of the Triple Gate (the Eastern Hulda Gate):

In front of the Triple Gate is an area paved with large stone slabs that was exposed by the previous expedition. Some of the pavers are original, dating to the time of Herod and some are reconstructed. In our excavation the reconstructed paving stones were removed and the excavation was completed in the area in front of the Triple Gate’s western opening. The remains of four architectural phases were uncovered in the excavation. The most important discoveries are the gate and the remains of the staircase ascending to it from the south. The bottom stone of the gate’s western jamb, which has a carved profile, and part of the entrance threshold were preserved from the original gate. Four of the paving stones from the area in front of the gate were also exposed.

Hewn Cavities South of the Triple Gate:

Two large cavities (Cavity A in the east, Cavity B in the west) that are entirely hewn in the bedrock were exposed c. 7.2-7.5 m south of the Triple Gate. These cavities served to support the stairs that went up to the gate from the south.

Upon the construction of the large buildings at the foot of the Temple Mount during the Umayyad period, the hewn cavities were no longer used and the walls of the Umayyad edifice designated Building V were constructed inside of them. Our work entailed dismantling a section of the building’s eastern wall, which was constructed across the width of the hewn cavities. It turns out that earlier construction elements were incorporated in the building of it. These mainly consist of Herodian stones that were collected from the stone collapse of the Herodian compound. Among them were column drums and decorated building components. These building elements join the large quantity of decorated stones that were recovered during the Mazar excavations. In our opinion, this collection of stones belongs to the Royal Stoa.

The Series of Vaults along the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount:

A reconstructed monumental street, which almost certainly had steps, descended to the east along the southern wall of the Temple Mount, from the triple Hulda Gate almost until the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. Its foundations were first discovered by the Mazar expedition.

A series of dark arch-shaped marks on the southern wall of the Temple Mount attest to a row of vaults that extended eastward; it terminated c. 10 m before the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. We excavated four squares in this spot in order to learn the nature of the last vaults in the series.  The remains of the two eastern vaults (Nos. 17 and 18) were exposed here.

While excavating Cavities 17 and 18 we revealed another six courses of the Herodian wall, from the surface level down to that of the bedrock on which they were constructed. Because the bedrock slopes in this spot a long narrow foundation trench was hewn in it into which the huge stones were placed and the gaps between them were filled with poured gray cement and stones.

Among the stones remaining as evidence of the temple’s destruction in 70 CE we found a number of fragments of decorated stones. These stones are similar to the decorated stones that were found in the excavation near the Triple Gate. We also found numerous potsherds in the fill. These shreds date mainly to the Second Temple period but we also found remains from the time of the First Temple and even a few from the Early Bronze Age. In addition bronze coins that date to the end of the Second Temple period and a rich assemblage of chalk vessels were discovered. It should be mentioned that a relatively large amount of chipped black bitumen debitage was also found in the fill. This stone, which comes from the Judean Desert region, was used in making vessels, tables, floor inlays etc.