Ancient Jerusalem Wall Uncovered

Archaeologists have uncovered the longest continuous section of an ancient wall that once encircled Jerusalem. This find may also hold hints of a 2,100-year-old agreement between rival kingdoms.

Recently, archaeologists finalized the excavation of a remarkably well-preserved section of the wall’s foundations, dating back to the Hasmonean era, which is notably linked to the Hanukkah narrative.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “consecration.” This holiday celebrates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after a group of Jewish fighters freed it from foreign control in the second century B.C.

This year’s Hanukkah festivities kicked off on December 14 and last eight nights—a little unique, you know? Each evening, candles were lit to remember the small amount of pure oil the fighters found in the temple.

Many also enjoy traditional foods during this holiday, especially fried delights like potato pancakes, or latkes.

The Hasmonean wall section, recently unearthed, measures about 164 feet in length and 16 feet in width, roughly half the length of a football field. It was likely constructed by a ruler shortly after the events described in the Hanukkah story.

Estimations suggest these walls were even taller than the existing walls around Jerusalem’s Old City, many of which originate from the Ottoman Empire—so, quite a historical mix.

The Hasmonean wall, according to ancient writings, encompassed a larger area than today’s Old City, featuring 60 watchtowers that exceeded 33 feet in height. The part recently found is one of the longest intact sections of these walls.

Historical Insights

Dr. Amit Reem, a lead archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted something intriguing about the wall’s foundations—the upper walls seemed to have been uniformly dismantled instead of being destroyed randomly through the ages or warfare.

This raises questions: Why would leaders dismantle effective defense walls in such a vulnerable region? According to the ancient historian Flavius Josephus, during a siege by King Antiochus VII around 132 or 133 B.C., tensions rose. The Jewish king John Hyrcanus I opted to negotiate with Antiochus, which included significant sacrifices, like raiding King David’s tomb for silver and taking hostages.

Josephus’ accounts mention a truce where Hyrcanus agreed to dismantle the Hasmonean walls in exchange for the withdrawal of Antiochus’s forces. “We believe we’ve discovered archaeological evidence of that agreement,” Reem commented, blending history with archaeology—a fascinating intersection.

Another possibility suggested by Reem is that King Herod might have built his palace on those foundations later, a symbolic gesture of Jewish authority in Jerusalem.

Orit Peleg Barkat, a classical archaeology expert at Hebrew University, shared her thoughts on the dismantling of this section. She sees a stronger connection to Herod’s palace rather than the truce with Antiochus, pointing out that other areas of the wall remain intact.

She believes it is improbable that Jerusalem would have been left defenseless for over a century, hinting at the complexity of the region’s historical narrative.

Recent Discovery

This segment of the wall was found beneath an abandoned wing of a structure known as Kishley, used as a military base back in 1830 and later a prison until the 1940s.

Graffiti marks left by prisoners in English, Hebrew, and Arabic adorn the walls, and remnants of iron bars can still be spotted on the ceiling. Most adjacent buildings are still in use by Israeli authorities, but the abandoned one has been moved to the Tower of David Museum.

Excavations at Kishley began in 1999 but were halted due to the violence of the Second Intifada starting in 2000. Over the past two years, archaeologists have painstakingly cleared debris equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools to reveal a medieval dye pit and a lengthy section of the Hasmonean wall foundations.

Looking ahead, the Tower of David Museum plans to create a floating glass floor above the ruins, integrating this hall into a new exhibition space. The renovation, however, is expected to take at least two years as excavation work continues.