A portion of the Iron Age city wall of Jerusalem was recently discovered on the eastern slope of the City of David. It lies between two other sections of the ancient city fortifications: one to the north discovered by Kathleen Kenyon and one to the south unearthed by Yigal Shiloh. It was likely constructed sometime in the 8th century BC, possibly during King Hezekiah’s reign, although archaeologists are awaiting radiocarbon dating to confirm this. The newly excavated sections are 15 ft/5m wide and stand up to 10 ft/3 m high; one part of the wall extends 130ft/40m and another is 10ft/3m long. Other artifacts, including LMLK jar handles, a bulla, and a small Babylonian stamp seal were also discovered nearby. While other sections of Jerusalem’s wall were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 or 587 BC (depending on one’s chronology), this portion of the city wall may have been spared as it lies on a such a steep slope and would have been difficult to demolish.
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