A team from the Mount Zion Archaeological Project, an excavation led by Shimon Gibson and Rafi Lewis, has unearthed evidence of both the destruction by the Babylonians in 587/586 BC and the destruction by the Romans in AD 70. The destruction levels displayed conflagration in strata that were separated by a couple meters. This is the first time destruction layers from the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the Roman destruction of the city have been found in the same area. In addition, ample pottery from the Persian era (539 – 322 BC) was unearthed by the team. The article in Haaretz below notes that Shimon Gibson believes “Nehemiah restored parts of the original Iron Age wall and gates associated with Mount Zion, not just at the City of David” as previously thought.
OFF-SITE LINK:
- https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-08-21/ty-article-magazine/evidence-of-jerusalems-destruction-at-hands-of-romans-and-babylonians-found-on-mount-zion/0000018a-170b-d84b-adfe-579b67c60000
Read more BREAKING NEWS articles here: https://biblearchaeology.org/current-events-list
