A building discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David dates back to the time of the first temple, research has shown
An ancient building discovered on the eastern slope City of David inside Jerusalem Walls National Park is believed to have been used for ritual practices during the time of the First Temple, according to a new study.
The structure contained eight rooms containing such things as an altar, a standing stone, an oil press, and a wine press.
Excavation director Eli Shukron said in an article published in the scientific journal Antiqot that the discovered structure may have been used by the people of Judea for cultic or religious practices.
The study suggests that the structure, which is generally of exceptional shape, dates back to the First Temple period and was discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David.
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The ritual building discovered in the City of David is the only one of its kind from this period found in Jerusalem. (Credit: Kobi Harati, City of David)
“When we started excavating the City of David in 2010, we found that the site was sealed with fill from the 8th century BC (before our era), indicating that it had ceased to be used at that time,” Shukron said. “The standing stone we discovered remained upright in its original location, and the other rooms in the structure were also well preserved.”
Shukron’s article suggested that the structure, consisting of eight rock-hewn rooms, was used for ritual purposes not far from the Temple on the Temple Mount, almost a few hundred meters away.
It is also the only known structure of its kind from the period in Jerusalem and one of only a few found in Israel.
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The incised installation has been identified as an altar, with a channel to drain the liquid. (Credit: Kobi Harati, City of David)
The building itself covers an area of about 220 square meters and has eight rooms, each of which is used for different purposes.
In one room there was an oil mill for oil production. In the second there was a wine press for making wine.
Other rooms contained such things as a carved installation with a drainage channel, which the researchers identified as an altar; a large standing stone; and a floor with V-shaped carvings, although researchers remain puzzled as to the purpose of the carvings.
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Mysterious carvings were discovered on the floor of the building. (Credit: Kobi Harati, City of David)
Shukron hypothesized that the carvings may have been used as a base for a tripod used during ritual activities.
At the edge of the building there is a small cave that includes a repository of objects dating back to the 8th century BC. Objects in the secretary included cooking vessels, vessels with fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, impressed seals, and stones for grinding grain.
Shukron and his team believe the structure was used until the 8th century BC, when the kings of Judea ruled.
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A collection of artifacts discovered in a cave next to the building. “The cave served as a repository for artifacts.” (Credit: Eli Shukron)
“The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BC, probably as part of the religious reform of King Hezekiah,” Shukron said.
The The Bible says Hezekiah wanted to centralize worship in the temple in Jerusalem, and in the process abolished the ritual sites located throughout the kingdom.
It also describes that during the First Temple period, other sites used for rituals were used outside the temple, and Kings Hezekiah and Josiah implemented reforms to remove these sites.
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Illustration of carved rooms discovered in the City of David. (Illustration: Shalom Kveller, City of David)
“Nearly 3,000 years later, Jerusalem’s biblical heritage remains unearthed in the City of Davidand as time goes on, its relevance and significance only continues to grow, with significance for billions, not just millions, around the world,” Ze’ev Orenstein, director of internal affairs at the City of David, told Fox News Digital “Unlike most ancient sites, jerusalem’s biblical heritage remains both timeless and temporal – it is not limited to museums and history books – but is an essential component of the. understanding the world today – past, present and future.”
The northern part of the building was discovered in 1909 by the British explorer Montague Parker, who was searching in Jerusalem Ark of the Covenant and treasures of the temple.
It wasn’t until 2010 that Shukron began excavating the property, which took several excavation seasons.
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“This discovery in the City of David once again confirms the continuous connection of the Jewish people with Jerusalem that is more than 3,000 years old – not only as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact – from biblical times to the present day,” Orenstein said.
