Jewish Pilgrimage in Second Temple Jerusalem
Ophel dig provides new insights into pilgrims and rituals
The main access to the Second Temple in Jerusalem was through an area known as the Ophel (visible in the lower center of photo as the excavated area wedged between the asphalt road and the southern wall of the ancient Temple Mount). Photo: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0.
The biblical command to appear before God on the three major festivals every year (Deuteronomy 16:16) meant that Jerusalem received thousands of pilgrims at Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). Yet we know very little about pilgrimage during the Persian and Hellenistic periods (sixth–second centuries BCE). We are on much safer ground for the late Hasmonean and Herodian periods, which are summarily called the late Second Temple period (first century BCE–first century CE). Jerusalem pilgrimage during this particular era is the subject of the article “At the Temple Gates: The Archaeology of Jerusalem Pilgrimage,” published in the Fall 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Although several extensive accounts testify to the importance of late Second Temple pilgrimage, we still know very little about what it looked like and how exactly it was performed. The problem is that authors like Philo of Alexandria, Flavius Josephus, and even the authors of the New Testament spend little time describing the practical and mundane aspects of Jewish pilgrimage to Second Temple Jerusalem. And the more descriptive accounts available to us in rabbinic literature come only from the second through the fourth centuries CE, which means that they are not likely to contain authentic testimonies up to four centuries prior to their time.
In the early 1970s, archaeologist Benjamin Mazar excavated this and many more ritual baths at the Ophel that served the thousands of pilgrims who visited the Temple annually. Photo: A. Mercado / The New Ophel Excavations, Hebrew University.
Fortunately, archaeological exploration in and around Jerusalem has revealed details about what pilgrimage to Second Temple Jerusalem really looked like. In their Biblical Archaeology Review article, Uzi Leibner and Orit Peleg-Barkat provide an overview of earlier excavations and then focus on their own ongoing archaeological project. Leibner is the head of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, while Peleg-Barkat is a senior lecturer there. Together, they co-direct the new Ophel excavations just outside the southern walls of the ancient Temple Mount. This area can be identified with the biblical Ophel and represents a narrow ridge connecting the Temple Mount in the north with the City of David to the south.
“The Ophel is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Second Temple period, with substantial architectural remains and rich assemblages of finds. Throughout much of the Second Temple period, Jerusalem was situated in the City of David, and worshipers crossed the Ophel on their way up to the Temple. Even though Jerusalem had expanded to the north and west by the late Second Temple period, there is good reason to believe that the southern gates were still considered the main entrance to the Temple complex and that most visitors first passed through the Ophel,” write Leibner and Peleg-Barkat.
This decorated architectural element excavated at the Ophel resembles those from the Herodian Temple Mount. Photo: A. Mercado / The New Ophel Excavations, Hebrew University.
Modern archaeological excavations reveal how this primary pilgrimage gateway to the Temple accommodated the immense flow of pilgrims during the major holidays. Structures, installations, and artifacts from this area reflect pilgrim activities. Numerous immersion pools uncovered at the Ophel, but also outside the city walls, are evidence of ritual purification. Numerous coins underscore the commercial character of the area, where people could exchange money or buy sacrificial animals. Pilgrimage to Second Temple Jerusalem was also supported by a system of subterranean tunnels, drains, and cisterns designed to manage water at the Ophel.
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Focusing on the eastern part of the Ophel, archaeologists are now beginning to understand how this public area supported pilgrimage during the late Second Temple period, up to the Roman destruction of the city in the summer of 70 CE. “By combining artifact analysis with a reconstruction of the area’s urban layout, we can begin to reconstruct pilgrimage practices during this pivotal period in Jerusalem’s history,” conclude Leibner and Peleg-Barkat.
To explore the routes pilgrims took to walk up to the Temple and the activities they performed at the Temple gates, read Uzi Leibner and Orit Peleg-Barkat’s article “At the Temple Gates: The Archaeology of Jerusalem Pilgrimage,” published in the Fall 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Subscribers: Read the full article “At the Temple Gates: The Archaeology of Jerusalem Pilgrimage” by Uzi Leibner and Orit Peleg-Barkat in the Fall 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
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