Rediscovering Ancient Jerusalem: Unearthed Treasures Tell a Vibrant Story

In 66 CE, turmoil erupted in Jerusalem, rapidly spiraling into a widespread revolt against Roman rule. The insurgents seized control of Jerusalem, forced the Roman governor Gaius Florus to evacuate, and ceased the offering of sacrifices for the Roman Emperor at the Temple, an act tantamount to declaring war on Rome.

In the spring of 70 CE, the Romans besieged Jerusalem. Four Roman legions and numerous auxiliary forces from various nations were commanded by Titus in this siege. The city was overtaken from the north in several stages through fierce battles, during which parts of the Temple Mount were burned and the continuous sacrificial offerings at the Temple ceased.

On the ninth of Av, the Temple was captured and destroyed, and about a month later, on the eighth of Elul, the Romans broke into the 'Upper City' and burned it to the ground. The deliberate and systematic destruction of the city and its Temple continued even after its capture by Roman legions. Most of its citizens and revolt refugees who found refuge there perished in the battles and the siege, and the survivors were exiled from the city.

According to the account of Josephus Flavius (Wars V, 4, 1), during most of the Second Temple period, Jerusalem was built on two main hills: the southern-western hill, known as the 'Upper City,' currently encompassing the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter of the Old City, and Mount Zion to the south. The second hill, known as 'Acra,' where the 'Lower City' stood, mainly included the City of David and the Ophel, and parts of the Temple Mount.

The Archaeological Findings

During the intensive construction period under Herod, extraordinarily luxurious residential buildings were established in the 'Upper City.' Remnants of some were uncovered in today's Jewish Quarter. The splendor and quality of the finds indicate the wealth of the inhabitants and reflect the grandeur of the 'Upper City,' confirming Josephus Flavius’s account.

The construction in the 'Upper City' was indeed dense, with houses closely packed. However, the spacious and elegant apartments endowed the homes with the characteristics of lavish villas. This suggests it was a residential area for affluent families of Jerusalem's nobility. The numerous water installations found in Upper City's houses suggest that many priestly families, considered wealthy during the Second Temple, lived there.

Ritual purity baths (mikvehs) were among the most common installations in all the Upper City residences. Each home contained at least one mikveh, sometimes two or more, reflecting the meticulous observance of purity laws by Jerusalem's residents during the Second Temple period. The typical mikveh was a rock-hewn stepped pool with a vaulted ceiling made of ashlar stones, supplied with water from numerous cisterns.

Only one or two homes had a mikveh with a cistern that provided pure, non-drawn water. The mikvehs were used solely for immersion, alongside bathing rooms equipped with a tub. In the affluent 'Upper City' homes, stone tables served as impressively designed furniture, and many stone vessels were found, including large goblet-shaped jugs, bowls, plates, cups, trays, and lids—mostly lathe-produced and of high quality, while a few were hand-made.

The widespread presence of stone vessels can be explained by the Jewish law stating that stone does not become impure (Keilim 10, 1; Parah 3, 2). The remains discovered in the Jewish Quarter also preserve a silent, dramatic testimony to Jerusalem's destruction by Roman legions in 70 CE.

The "Palatial Mansion" The largest and most magnificent building uncovered so far, named the "Palatial Mansion," covers an area of about 600 square meters, indicating a two-story structure. Located beneath the modern buildings of Yeshivat HaKotel and Porat Yosef Yeshiva on Misgav Ladach Street, it was excavated by a team led by N. Avigad. In one room, many charred wooden beams survived from the great fire that raged here.

In the adjacent room, an entire wall preserved with frescoes was found. In a large hall plastered with white stucco relief, the northern wall's stucco survived almost to the ceiling. Below the northern room, a mikveh from an earlier house, filled with fallen stones and Hasmonean pottery, was uncovered. It's noteworthy that the abundance of mikvehs extended even beneath the courtyard, with a standout mikveh featuring an arch, two doors, and a mosaic-paved corridor.

Given the house's size, ornate decorations, and numerous fine vessels, some imported from distant lands, it undoubtedly belonged to a rich and distinguished family. The abundance of mikvehs may suggest that the owners were a family of high priests. Based on the coins and other findings, the building is presumed to have been built during Herod's reign on the ruins of a Hasmonean-era house and was destroyed with the capture of the "Upper City" by the Romans and the fall of Jerusalem.

The "House of Columns" North of the "Palatial Mansion," a house distinguished by its use of columns was uncovered. Its layout is unclear. A foundation wall revealed parts of columns, indicating that the wall supported a line of six columns. Two adjacent rooms were paved with colorful stone slabs in an "opus sectile" style, most of which were looted. It is likely that the columns belonged to a columned courtyard (a peristyle courtyard) in the style of grand Roman villas.

The "Burnt House" At the corner of Tiferet Israel Street and Misgav Ladach, a section of a private residence from the Upper City of Jerusalem was uncovered. It is the first residential building from this period found in its ruined state. Its walls are broken, roof and furnishings burnt. The structure includes a small courtyard, four rooms, a kitchen, and a small mikveh. A small chamber near the mikveh may have served as a storeroom.

The remaining parts of the building could not be excavated. This house is characterized by a thick layer of ash undisturbed by later buildings, preserved as left after the destruction. The findings indicate it was a basement floor, and the rooms were not used for living but as a workshop. The debris-filled rooms contained burnt stones, charred wooden beams, and layers of ash and soot covering numerous artifacts.

Artifacts include numerous stone tools, stone tables, basalt mortars, a stone weight, cooking pots, oil flasks, and perfume bottles. One of the stone weights bears the inscription "Bar Kathros." The Talmud mentions the House of Kathros as a family of high priests serving at the Temple (Pesachim 57a: "Woe is me from the House of Kathros, woe from their pen").

Many coins were found on the floors of the rooms, all minted by the Jewish authorities during the Great Revolt against the Romans. It is therefore clear that the house was destroyed during Jerusalem's downfall in 70 CE, when the Romans captured the "Upper City" on the eighth of Elul, a month after the Temple was burned, as attested by Josephus Flavius.

A Roman metal spear found leaning in one room's corner and the arm bones and hand of a young woman resting against the kitchen wall testify to the horrors experienced by the inhabitants. Walls from the end of the First Temple period were discovered near the building's walls, further attesting to the ancient Jewish life in Jerusalem.

Sources: Guide to Israel, Supplements p. 193 The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, Vol. 2.