| A rare 200-seat theater from the Roman period and eight large ancient stone courses recently unearthed under Wilson's Arch near the Western Wall by the Israel Antiquities Authority were presented for the first time at a press conference in the Old City Monday morning.
Wilson's Arch, built of enormous stones, is the last of a series of such arches that once constituted a gigantic bridge leading to the Temple Mount from the west. It is the only intact, visible structure remaining from the Temple Mount compound of the Second Temple period.
The arch stands high above the foundations of the Western Wall, and served as a passageway for people entering the Temple Mount compound and the Temple. A huge aqueduct also passed over the arch.
The site's excavators on behalf of the Authority, Dr. Joe Uziel, Tehillah Lieberman and Dr. Avi Solomon, said the dig was initiated to date Wilson's Arch, but turned into far more when the theater was discovered.
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists Dr. Joe Uziel and Tehillah Lieberman stands inside a theatre-like structure during a media tour to reveal the structure which was discovered during excavation works underneath Wilson's Arch in the Western Wall tunnels in Jerusalem's Old City, October 16, 2017. (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
"From a research perspective, this is a sensational find; the discovery was a real surprise," said Uziel. "We did not imagine that a window would open for us onto the mystery of Jerusalem's lost theater... Like much of archaeological research, the expectation is that a certain thing will be found, but at the end of the process other findings – surprising and thought-provoking – are unearthed."
While the archeologists noted that the exposure of the courses of the Western Wall and the components of Wilson's Arch are "thrilling discoveries that contribute to our understanding of Jerusalem," they described the discovery of the theater-like structure as "the real drama."
"This is a relatively small structure compared to known Roman theaters such as at Caesarea, Bet She'an and Bet Guvrin," said Lieberman. "This fact, in addition to its location under a roofed space, in this case under Wilson's Arch, leads us to suggest that this is a theater-like structure of the type known in the Roman world as an odeon."
srael Antiquities Authority archaeologist Dr. Joe Uziel stands inside a theatre-like structure during a media tour to reveal the structure which was discovered during excavation works underneath Wilson's Arch in the Western Wall tunnels in Jerusalem's Old City, October 16, 2017. (photo credit:REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
"In most cases," he continued, "such structures were used for acoustic performances. Alternatively, this may have been a structure known as a bouleuterion, the building where the city council met. In this case, the council of the roman colony of Aelia Capitolina."
Interestingly, the archaeologists believe the theater was never used.
"A number of findings at the site indicate this, among them a staircase that was never completely hewn," said Solomon. "It is clear that great effort was invested in the building's construction, but, oddly, it was abandoned before it was put to use."
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Tehillah Lieberman walks atop stones lying besides a part of the Western Wall, during a media tour revealing a theatre-like structure which was discovered during excavation works underneath Wilson's Arch in the Western Wall tunnels in Jerusalem's Old City, (photo credit:REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
"The reasons for this are unknown," he added. "But they may have been connected to a significant historical event – perhaps the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Construction of the building may have been started, but abandoned when the revolt broke out."
Additional evidence of unfinished buildings from this period has been uncovered in the past in the excavations of the Eastern Cardo in the Western Wall Plaza, Solomon noted.
The archeologists noted numerous findings have been unearthed during digs beneath Wilson's Arch, including pottery vessels, coins, architectural elements, and other relics which are later analyzed in the Authority's state-of-the-art Jerusalem laboratory.
"Advanced research methods from various fields were employed to uncover remains invisible to the naked eye, but only viewable through a microscope," said Uziel.
"This enables conclusions to be drawn at a level of precision that would have been impossible in the past, transforming the study of the findings at Wilson's Arch into pioneering, cutting-edge micro-archaeological research."
Monday's press conference was attended by the Western Wall Rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz; IAA Director, Israel Hasson; Western Wall Heritage Foundation director, Mordechai Eliav; IAA District Archaeologist Dr. Yuval Baruch; and the excavation's directors.
Eliav deemed the discoveries one of the most important unearthed during his 30-year tenure with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
"There is no doubt as to the immeasurably rich scientific value of the discoveries in this area," he said.
"The findings symbolize the guests from past empires that were here over the years, as opposed to the Jewish people, who held fast to this place some 3,000 years ago and have been here ever since and always."
Rabinovitch said he was most taken by the tangibility of the findings. "Time after time the amazing archaeological findings allow our generation to actually touch the ancient history of our people and Jewish heritage, and its deep connection to Jerusalem," he said.
Hasson said the Authority's primary goal in the area is to continue to unveil ancient Jerusalem.
"The exciting finds from the excavations beneath Wilson's Arch enhance the importance of expanding the archaeological excavations in this region, and I hope that these finds will help push forward the general plan, so that we each get to see and be awed by Jerusalem's glorious past," he said.
The findings will be presented to the public during a conference called "New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Environs," which will take place later this year at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to mark 50 years of archaeology since the unification of Jerusalem. |
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