Finkelstein, I. 1981. The Date of Gezer's Outer Wall, Tel Aviv 8: 136-145. (original) (raw)

New Evidence for the Dates of the Walls of Jerusalem in the Second Half of the Second Century BC

Electrum, Journal of Ancient History, 2019

Alongside a critique of a new analysis of Josephus' long account of Antiochus VII Sidetes' siege of Jerusalem in his Antiquities, this paper presents new archaeological support for the conclusion that, at the time of the siege, the "First Wall" enclosed the Southwestern Hill of the city. Further examination of the stratigraphic summaries of the Hellenistic fortification system at the Giv'ati Parking Lot proposes that the system constituted part of the western city-wall for the City of David hill. The addition of a lower glacis to the wall was made in advance of Sidetes' siege. In other words, in addition to the "First Wall" protecting the western side of an expanded Jerusalem, John Hyrcanus also reinforced the City of David's wall, as an additional barrier to the Seleucid forces. Later, after the high priest's capitulation to Sidetes (132 BC) and the king's death in Media (129 BC), Hyrcanus again reinforced the same fortification with an upper glacis, which never was tested.

2019 The Line of the Southern City Wall of Jerusalem in the Early Periods

ANCIENT JERUSALEM REVEALED- Archaeological Discoveries, 1998–2018, 2019

This study presents archaeological and historical conclusions based upon the excavations, which uncovered remains of the city wall from the Iron Age II, Late Hellenistic–Early Roman (Second Temple) period and the Byzantine period, The excavations located along the upper part of the southern slope of Mt. Zion, Jerusalem an area that today is outside the Ottoman walls of the Old City.

On Wall Conservation at Prehistoric Sites: Naḥal Ein Gev II as a Case Study

JOURNAL OF THE ISRAEL PREHISTORIC SOCIETY, 2020

Conservation of stone walls is a common practice at archaeological sites at large, yet it is not sufficiently applied to prehistoric remains. Recently, an attempt was conducted to preserve stone walls at the Late Natufian site of Naḥal Ein Gev II, located 2 km east of the Sea of Galilee and occupied 12,500–12,000 Cal BP. The site’s architectural remains are represented by large stone structures, walls up to two meters high, and a burial ground with intensive use of lime-plaster. Although found already exceptionally well-preserved during excavation, the unearthing of these elements together with the natural decay processes, prompted the need for their conservation. A survey was conducted to find the endangered walls and their construction methods, building materials, physical condition, and the causes of deterioration. Eventually, specific conservation treatments such as pointing and anastylosis were applied to solve the acute problems, to protect the existing architectural finds, to stabilize the walls, and to prevent future decay and deterioration. The present study describes these techniques and highlights the problems confronted during the walls’ conservation process. Moreover, the article wishes to emphasize why conservation works should become an integral part in prehistoric fieldwork.