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January 15: Jerusalem Razed

lawrencebush
January 15, 2012

destruction-of-the-temple-of-jerusalem-1867.jpg!HDThe first archaeological evidence that Jerusalem was destroyed by fire by Roman troops in 70 CE, as described by the ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, was uncovered on this date in 1970 by Israeli archaeologist Nahman Avigad as he excavated ruins in the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem. Avigad found two rooms that showed evidence of intense heat and ashes, one apparently a pharmacy, with carved stone jars, weights, and measuring cups. He also found the earliest depiction of the menorah that illuminated the Second Temple 2,200 years ago, and remnants of the “broad wall,” which is twice mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah as part of Jerusalem’s defense system during the 8th Century BCE. Avigad also worked on the excavation of Masada, the mountaintop fortress built by King Herod, explored caves in the Judean desert, and published one of the Dead Sea scrolls.

“We have never had evidence of the destruction before. Here we see the fire for the first time; it recalls the sudden devastation of Pompeii.” —Nahman Avigad