Unveiling the Floors of the Second Temple

Today (Tuesday), the Megalim Institute, the prestigious center for Jerusalem studies under the 'City of David' initiative, has announced the successful recreation of the flooring used in the Second Temple compound.

These revelations were uncovered through archaeological digs and the Temple Mount Sifting Project, where approximately 600 colorful stone flooring tiles were discovered. Around 100 of these tiles are confirmed to be from the era of the Second Temple. The certainty is based on measurements aligned with the Roman foot standard, measuring 29.6 cm. The uncovered tiles mirror those from Herod's palaces at Masada, Jericho, and other historical sites previously unearthed.

The unique tiles were crafted from types of marble and colorful stones, sawed and cut into various geometric patterns. The stones and marble types were imported from Rome, Asia Minor, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Additionally, the flooring tiles are comparable to similar floors found in luxurious Italian palaces, also attributed to the time of Herod.

Frankie Snyder, an expert in ancient decorated floors, shared in an article published by the Megalim Institute how the researchers managed to recreate some of the opulent designs that adorned the Temple Mount courtyards and wings.

(Photo: Temple Mount Sifting Project)

"The reconstruction was achieved using mathematical tools and based on parallels from Herod's construction works at other sites," Snyder noted. "This flooring style, known in Latin as Opus Sectile – 'cut-work' – was highly prestigious and favored over the usual mosaic floors."

Snyder explains in her article that "to date, we have managed to reconstruct seven potential patterns of the luxurious floors that enhanced the Temple Mount's buildings. These floors were most likely installed by foreign artisans from Rome, sent by Emperor Augustus to his friend King Herod, who rebuilt the Temple Mount in the first century BCE."

The reconstructed designs include inlays of "squares, triangles, star-like patterns, and weather-vane shapes, crafted from meticulously sawed and polished tiles, fitted so precisely that even a sharp knife blade could not penetrate between them," according to the researcher.

Dr. Gabriel Barkay, project initiator and director, stated, "Now, with the mathematical skills of Frankie Snyder, we have successfully recreated the designs themselves. For the first time, we can see with our own eyes the splendor of the floors that adorned the temple and its precincts nearly two thousand years ago. In the context of Herod's Temple, the Talmud says, 'Whoever has not seen Herod's building has never seen a beautiful structure in their life.'"

On this Thursday, the original floors will be presented to the public at the City of David National Park during the 'Annual Archaeological Conference' hosted by the Megalim Institute.