BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Missing Wall of Biblical Jerusalem Discovered

The missing Jerusalem wall proves Iron Age Jerusalem was a well-fortified city

Excavation directors: Dr. Joe Uziel, Ortal Kalaf, and Dr. Filip Vukosavovic, standing by the exposed section of the wall. Photo: Koby Harati, City of David

In July 2021, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the groundbreaking discovery of the eastern section of Jerusalem’s Iron Age wall. The previously missing Jerusalem wall, stretching along the eastern slope of the Kidron Valley, was uncovered in the City of David Archaeological Park, a short distance from the Temple Mount. Stamps seals and other objects found along the wall allowed the excavators to date the wall to the Iron Age, indicating that it was likely part of the fortifications built by King Hezekiah (Isaiah 22:9), as he prepared for the Assyrian invasion (c. 701 B.C.E.). This also would have been the very same wall that was ultimately destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem about a century later (2 Kings 25:10).

Although two other sections of the wall were discovered in the 1960s and 70s, the two sections were separated by a large gap, which led some archaeologists to suggest that they were not actually part of biblical Jerusalem’s Iron Age fortifications. Rather, it was thought that the identified walls were pieces of larger buildings. This recent discovery, however, finally connects the two sections, proving conclusively that Jerusalem was heavily fortified during the Iron Age. Reconstructions suggest the wall reached a height of nearly 10 feet and was more than 15 feet thick. What is more, the wall sat atop the slopes of the steep-sided Kidron Valley, making for an imposing barrier along Jerusalem’s eastern defenses.

Other Jerusalem excavations have also revealed remains of the city’s Iron Age fortifications, thought to have been constructed under King Hezekiah in the late eighth century B.C.E. One of these is the Broad Wall, which runs under the modern Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. Unlike the missing Jerusalem wall around the City of David, the Broad Wall was built along relatively flat ground, and as a result, was constructed as a massive fortification. The wall is an incredible 23 feet wide (hence the name) and scholars think it may have stood more than 25 feet tall.

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

OnSite: The Walls of Jerusalem

Western Wall Rubble: Caused by Fourth-Century Earthquake?

The Third Wall of Jerusalem: Where Romans and Jews Battled

Restoring the Walls of Jerusalem

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

Jerusalem Down Under: Tunneling Along Herod’s Temple Mount Wall

Joshua’s Altar—An Iron Age I Watchtower

Estimating the Population of Ancient Jerusalem

A version of this post was originally published in BHD on Jul 29, 2021