first temple jerusalem

first temple jerusalem Latest

Artistic rendition of Jerusalem in the tenth century BCE. Illustration by Leonardo Gurvitz, City of David Archives

May 6 Blog

How Large Was King David’s Jerusalem?

A new and comprehensive radiocarbon study of First Temple Jerusalem—conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science—has produced […]

Sep 9 Blog

Ivory Riches from First Temple Jerusalem

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

For the first time, a collection of ivory plaques has been discovered in Jerusalem dating to the First Temple period. The beautifully crafted ivory pieces […]

Mar 2 Blog

BASONOVA: Destination: Holy Of Holies An Archaeological Walk Through The Jerusalem Temple

By: Kye Laden

Out of caution, and respect for the need for social distancing at this time, this event has been canceled Sunday, April 26, 2020 Destination: Holy […]

Sep 18 Blog

First Temple Seal Impression Found by Western Wall

By: Jonathan Laden

A volunteer looking through dirt that had been excavated from Robinson’s Arch in 2013 found a 1-cm impression of a seal. The impression, or bulla, […]

Sep 17 Blog

Givati Parking Lot Dig Unearths Rare Seal of Woman

By: Robin Ngo

Two First Temple period seals were discovered in the Givati Parking Lot excavations in Jerusalem. One seal belonged to a woman named Elihana bat Gael.

May 5 Blog

TV Series “Dig” Delivers Drama

By: Ellen White

The TV series “Dig” on the USA Network captures the excitement of discovering the Biblical world.

Sep 6 Blog

Ancient Reservoir Provided Water for First Temple Period Jerusalem

By: Noah Wiener

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Jerusalem archaeologist Eli Shukron announced the discovery of a large First Temple period reservoir today, reshaping our understanding of ancient water systems and water access in First Temple period Jerusalem. The rock-hewn and plastered reservoir has a capacity of over 8,000 cubic feet, the first of its size and kind discovered in First Temple period Jerusalem. Previous understanding of contemporaneous public ancient water systems focus on access to the Gihon Spring, which became accessible from Jerusalem through Warren’s Shaft, Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Siloam Channel over the course of the First Temple Period. The large size of the reservoir, coupled with evidence of smaller cisterns in the area, suggests that the water would have been available for the broader urban population, and would have supplemented the Gihon Spring as a main water source.

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