Jerusalem: The Temple Mount - growth in the Hasmonaean and Herodian periods
description: This slide shows the ways and degrees in which the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount in Jerusalem was expanded in the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also called "Maccabean," the two words refer to the dynasty of independent Jewish rulers in the 2nd-1st centuries BCE (167-63 BCE) who came to power after the Maccabaean Revolt. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Hasmonaean (blue area) and Herodian periods (purple area).
date: -0167-01-01/0015-01-01

Jerusalem: Model of the Second Temple
description: This scale model of Second Temple Jerusalem resides at the Israel Museum in modern Jerusalem. This particular photograph is looking west and shows a reconstruction of the Second Temple itself (after <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod the Great's renovations). The <span class="tooltip" title=' The holiest place in a temple. In the Jerusalem Temple the phrase refers to the room where it was believed that God’s intangible presence dwelt. Further Reading '>Holy of Holies would have been at the far west of the main Temple building, behind the large doorway. The open-air altar stood in the inner court, between the large entrance door and the steps that are visible at the lower center of the photo. The walls in the immediate foreground (at the bottom of the photo) would have separated the Court of the Gentiles (where anybody was allowed) from the Court of the Women (where only Jews were allowed, and women could not go beyond).
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem in the Second Temple period: Map
description: This plan shows what Jerusalem looked like in the late <span class="tooltip" title=" 519 BCE - 70 CE ">Second Temple period, prior to the Jewish revolt of 66-70 CE. The Jewish Temple occupied the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount and the upper-classes lived in the Upper City (known today as <span class="tooltip" title=' A relatively low hill within the Old City of Jerusalem, on its western side. Further Reading '>Mt. Zion), across the <span class="tooltip" title=' A relatively shallow valley that runs through the middle of the Old City of Jerusalem, emptying into the Hinnom Valley (on the south side of the city). Further Reading '>Tyropoeon Valley from the Temple Mount, near <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Herod's Palace. The city walls encompassed all that had been the <span class="tooltip" title=' Built by David ca. 970 BCE on the site of the earlier Jebusite city Jebus; it was also called Jerusalem. It physically sits on the slope of hill south of the modern Old City and Temple Mount, near the Gihon Spring. Further Reading '>City of David, as well as most of what is the modern Old City.
date: -0030-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem in the Byzantine period: Map
description: This plan shows what Jerusalem looked like in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The name we use today for the Roman Empire in its Christian phase, which is to say, from Constantine until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. In Palestine, Byzantine rule ended with the Islamic conquest (i.e., it lasted from 332-636 CE in our region). Further Reading '>Byzantine period. The Temple stood in ruins, as did the short-lived Temple of Jupiter that some scholars believe was erected in its place. Multiple churches were built during and after the reign of the Emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' Roman emperor from 306-337 CE. He recognized Christianity as the official religion of the empire and moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul). Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Constantine (306-337 CE), the largest and most notable being the <span class="tooltip" title=" Commissioned to be built in Jerusalem by Constantine's mother Helen in 326 CE, ostensibly over the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial, it became the center of Byzantine Jerusalem. Further Reading ">Church of the Holy Sepulchre (just to the left of the center) and the Nea Church (at the bottom). There were two cardos (main streets) that ran through the city from north to south, the eastern (left-most) of which was only discovered in 2006.
date: 0313-01-01/0746-01-01

Jerusalem: Model of the Antonia Fortress
description: This scale model of Second Temple Jerusalem resides at the Israel Museum in modern Jerusalem. This particular photograph is looking from north to south at the Antonia Fortress, which sat at the north edge of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount complex (the Temple building of which can be seen behind it). The Antonia Fortress was a military barracks that was built by <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod the Great and was used to garrison Roman troops when <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea was ruled by a Roman procurator.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Phasael's Tower
description: This photograph shows Phasael's Tower, one of three towers built by <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod the Great (37-4 BCE) as part of his defensive wall system on the western side of the city of Jerusalem. Herod named the tower after his brother, who was killed by the Parthians. The upper part of the tower, built of smaller stones represents medieval repairs of the 12th century CE and later. The crusaders probably built the sloping revetments and parapets around the base. This tower is today part of a later fortress known as the Tower of <span class="tooltip" title=' The second king of Israel who founded Jerusalem as a new capital city. David ruled from ca. 1000-970 BCE and was succeeded by his son Solomon. Further Reading '>David (obviously much later than the historical king David).
date: -0019-01-01/1300-01-01

Jerusalem: Damascus Gate
description: This photograph shows the current day <span class="tooltip" title=' The capital of modern Syria, just to the north of the Golan Heights. It was also the capital of the Umayyad caliphate (661-750 CE). Further Reading '>Damascus Gate (one of the northern entrances into the Old City of Jerusalem) and a lower, earlier doorway of the Roman gate of the city. Above the lower arch is a worn inscription that reads 'Colonia Ae[lia] Cap[itolina]' - The Colony of <span class="tooltip" title=' Aelia Capitolina is the name that Hadrian gave to Jerusalem after he expelled the Jews and made it a Roman colony in 135 CE. The name lasted until the time of Constantine. Further Reading '>Aelia Capitolina, indicating that it was built in the time of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman Emperor from 117-138 CE. He is responsible for creating a Roman colony Aelia Capitolina near the site of Jerusalem in the wake of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Further Reading '>Hadrian (early 2nd century CE). Inside the doorway is a guard room and a stairwell that ascends within the eastern gateway tower to the present day parapet above the city wall.
date: 0130-01-01/0313-01-01

Jerusalem: Hezekiah's Pool
description: This pool, just north of Jaffa Gate, on the west side of the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of several large reservoirs constructed to provide water for the expanding population of Jerusalem during the reign of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod the Great (37-4 BCE). It and other reservoirs were fed by aqueducts that brought fresh water to Jerusalem from as far away as 12 miles to the south. Note the black dome of the <span class="tooltip" title=" Commissioned to be built in Jerusalem by Constantine's mother Helen in 326 CE, ostensibly over the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial, it became the center of Byzantine Jerusalem. Further Reading ">Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the background and the tower and buildings of the Hebrew University campus on <span class="tooltip" title=' A hill just north of the Mount of Olives, on which the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is located. Further Reading '>Mount Scopus in the far background.
date: 0037-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Aelia Capitolina Coin
description: This bronze coin was minted in 131 CE and commemorates the rededication of Jerusalem as <span class="tooltip" title=' Aelia Capitolina is the name that Hadrian gave to Jerusalem after he expelled the Jews and made it a Roman colony in 135 CE. The name lasted until the time of Constantine. Further Reading '>Aelia Capitolina (the inscription is in Latin and reads 'COL[onia] AEL[ia] KAP[itolina]'). The picture in the middle of the coin is the façade of the temple to the Capitoline Triad that <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman Emperor from 117-138 CE. He is responsible for creating a Roman colony Aelia Capitolina near the site of Jerusalem in the wake of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Further Reading '>Hadrian had erected on the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount (according to some scholars), with the seated figure of Jupiter inside flanked by the goddesses Juno and Minerva. Many have argued that the building of the Temple of Jupiter was a catalyst for the <span class="tooltip" title=' Simeon bar Kosiba, also known as "bar Kokhba" ("Son of the Star"), was the messianic leader of the second Jewish revolt against the Romans from 132-135 CE. Further Reading '>Bar Kokhba Revolt (131-135 CE).
date: 0131-01-01

Jerusalem: Damascus Gate
description: This photograph shows the <span class="tooltip" title=' The capital of modern Syria, just to the north of the Golan Heights. It was also the capital of the Umayyad caliphate (661-750 CE). Further Reading '>Damascus Gate (one of the northern entrances into the Old City of Jerusalem) and a lower, earlier doorway of the Roman gate that stood at the same place. Above the arch is a worn inscription that reads 'Colonia Ae[lia] Cap[itolina]' - The Colony of <span class="tooltip" title=' Aelia Capitolina is the name that Hadrian gave to Jerusalem after he expelled the Jews and made it a Roman colony in 135 CE. The name lasted until the time of Constantine. Further Reading '>Aelia Capitolina, indicating that it was built in the time of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman Emperor from 117-138 CE. He is responsible for creating a Roman colony Aelia Capitolina near the site of Jerusalem in the wake of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Further Reading '>Hadrian (early 2nd century CE). Inside the doorway is a guard room and a stairwell that ascends within the eastern gateway tower to the present day parapet above the city wall.
date: 0130-01-01/0313-01-01

Jerusalem: Triple Huldah Gates
description: These three doorways, which were blocked up after the <span class="tooltip" title=" 1099-1291 CE ">Crusader period, led from the monumental steps on the south side of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount into the Temple Mount and the area called Solomon's Stables. They were built into the base of the Temple Mount during <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod's massive renovation project and allowed access to the Temple Mount from the Lower City (known today as the <span class="tooltip" title=' Built by David ca. 970 BCE on the site of the earlier Jebusite city Jebus; it was also called Jerusalem. It physically sits on the slope of hill south of the modern Old City and Temple Mount, near the Gihon Spring. Further Reading '>City of David) and other areas to the south.
date: -0019-01-01/1400-01-01

Jerusalem: "Place of the Trumpeting" inscription
description: This stone, with an inscription in <span class="tooltip" title=' A Semitic language from the region of Judea and Samaria. Most biblical books were written in this language. In the 19th century the Zionist movement revived it and it became the common language for modern-day Jews living in Israel. Further Reading '>Hebrew that reads, 'To the place of trumpeting to an(nounce)…,' was found in excavations at the base of the southwest corner of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount (where many things were found that had been thrown off of the Temple Mount by Roman soldiers that destroyed it in 70 CE). It likely originally marked the spot (or gave directions to the spot) where a priest would have blown the trumpet that announced the beginning and end of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The weekly day of rest in the Jewish religious calendar. Further Reading '>Sabbath.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem in the Late Roman period: Map
description: This plan shows what Jerusalem looked like after the Roman emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman Emperor from 117-138 CE. He is responsible for creating a Roman colony Aelia Capitolina near the site of Jerusalem in the wake of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Further Reading '>Hadrian (117-138 CE) ordered the establishment of a colony named <span class="tooltip" title=' Aelia Capitolina is the name that Hadrian gave to Jerusalem after he expelled the Jews and made it a Roman colony in 135 CE. The name lasted until the time of Constantine. Further Reading '>Aelia Capitolina in 130-132 CE. Some scholars believe that a temple to Jupiter was erected on the site where the Jewish temple had been, which is what this map shows. The camp of the Tenth Roman Legion occupied the southwestern corner of the city.
date: 0070-01-01/0313-01-01

Jerusalem: Broad Stairs at the Temple Mount
description: This monumental staircase, located to the south of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount compound (the wall of which is seen in the background) is one of two that led up to the Double and Triple Huldah Gates and into the Temple Mount. They were built as part of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod the Great's monumental renovation project. This particular staircase is 200 feet across and allowed access to the Temple Mount platform from the Lower City (know today as the <span class="tooltip" title=' Built by David ca. 970 BCE on the site of the earlier Jebusite city Jebus; it was also called Jerusalem. It physically sits on the slope of hill south of the modern Old City and Temple Mount, near the Gihon Spring. Further Reading '>City of David) and other parts of the southern city of Jerusalem. They were probably in use until after the <span class="tooltip" title=' A series of nine Christian military expeditions against the Muslims (primarily) between 1099 and 1272 CE. They are best known for Christian campaigns to the "Holy Land" to rid it of the ruling Muslims. Further Reading '>Crusades.
date: -0019-01-01/1400-01-01

Jerusalem: Painted Pottery
description: An especially high quality of pottery, modeled after <span class="tooltip" title=' A Semitic Arabic tribe turned nation who lived east of the Jordan River in the late Hellenistic and Roman periods. They are best known as being traders and for having the city of Petra. Further Reading '>Nabataean pottery, was produced in Jerusalem toward the end of the <span class="tooltip" title=" 519 BCE - 70 CE ">Second Temple period. It is very thin and delicate, with hand-painted designs that are impressive for this period. Note the lack of any figurative art, which is a common feature of Nabataean and Jewish pottery and architecture in this period.
date: 0001-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Model of Herod's Western Fortress
description: This scale model of Second Temple Jerusalem resides at the Israel Museum in modern Jerusalem. This particular photograph shows the towers that were part of a defense system of Jerusalem constructed by <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Herod the Great at its western border to guard both the entrance to the city and the palace that he built just to the south. This model is based partly on the description of the fortress by the Jewish historian <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish historian from whom we know much about life in 1st century CE Palestine. His works include a history of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, which began in 66 CE, entitled The Jewish War Further Reading '>Josephus and partly on the results of excavations in the later Citadel (known as the Tower of <span class="tooltip" title=' The second king of Israel who founded Jerusalem as a new capital city. David ruled from ca. 1000-970 BCE and was succeeded by his son Solomon. Further Reading '>David), which was built over Herod's fort. Josephus tells us that Herod named the towers after three of his closest associates – his wife Miriam, his brother Phasael, and his close friend Hippicus.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: The Theodotus Inscription
description: This inscription, written in Greek, was found in the <span class="tooltip" title=' Built by David ca. 970 BCE on the site of the earlier Jebusite city Jebus; it was also called Jerusalem. It physically sits on the slope of hill south of the modern Old City and Temple Mount, near the Gihon Spring. Further Reading '>City of David, south of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount, in 1914. It can be dated, on the basis of script, to the reign of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod (37-4 BCE), and its content points to a <span class="tooltip" title=' Literally "to come together" in Greek, synagogues were Jewish religious and social institutions in the late Second Temple Period that came to replace the Temple as the Jewish place of worship after 70 CE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>synagogue having been built in Jerusalem at least two generations earlier. It reads, 'Theodotus Vettanos [or, son of Vettanos], priest and synagogue leader [archisynagogos], son of a synagogue leader [archisynagogos], built [or 'restored'] this synagogue for the purpose of the reading of the Law and for the instruction of the commandments of the Law, the hostel and guest rooms, and the baths for foreigners who need them. This synagogue was established by his forefathers, the elders and Simonides.'
date: 0001-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Herod's Temple walls
description: This photograph shows the detail of extra-long blocks that <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod's engineers used to bind the existing exterior walls of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount compound to the southern addition that he was building. Some of these blocks measure 39 feet long and weigh more than 100 tons.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: objects from a wealthy Second Temple family
description: The mosaic floor, stone-carved table, and stone vessels are from the Jerusalem <span class="tooltip" title=' The southwestern of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. Further Reading '>Jewish Quarter excavations, which revealed the upper-class houses from the <span class="tooltip" title=" 519 BCE - 70 CE ">Second Temple period. As a result, we can say that, for instance, upper-class Jerusalemites in the late Second Temple period were concerned with ritual purity (as is suggested by the stone vessels), and that their mosaics were ornate but lacked human and animal representations.
date: -0030-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Robinson's Arch
description: This photograph shows the 'springer' for Robinson's Arch. In 1838, Edward Robinson noticed the strange, curved stones jutting out of the southwestern corner of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount (to the upper left of center in this photograph). He realized that these stones were the 'springers' (i.e., the foundation, or the beginning) of an arch that probably supported a walkway that connected to the top of the Temple Mount on one side and to a stairway on the other. Later excavators found archaeological evidence for the stairwell, thus confirming Robinson's theory. The grey dome at the top of the picture belongs to the <span class="tooltip" title=' The only mosque on the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif. It sits on the southwest corner of the platform and has a gray dome. Further Reading '>Al-Aqsa Mosque, which sits inside the Temple Mount compound.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Robinson's Arch (reconstruction)
description: In this drawing, the yellow pieces are those that have been found in archaeological excavations and the rest are an architect's reconstruction of how the southwestern corner of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount probably looked in the <span class="tooltip" title=" 519 BCE - 70 CE ">Second Temple period: a monumental stairway led to the southern part of the Temple Mount. The yellow portion attached to the wall of the Temple Mount is known by its name 'Robinson's arch' (after the 19th century archaeologist Edward Robinson who found it).
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Herod's enlarged Temple Mount
description: This aerial photograph of the modern <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount, looking toward the northeast (with the <span class="tooltip" title=' "Kubbat ash-Sakhra" in Arabic, this is the golden-domed shrine that is located on the Temple Mount (or Haram esh-Sharif) in Jerusalem. It was built by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 691 CE. Further Reading '>Dome of the Rock roughly in its center and the gray dome of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The only mosque on the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif. It sits on the southwest corner of the platform and has a gray dome. Further Reading '>Al-Aqsa Mosque at its southern end), one can see just how large and well-built <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod's expansion of the Jewish Temple complex was. The resulting complex was 36 acres in size and the southern extents soared impressively above the surrounding landscape. The southeastern corner is 130 feet above bedrock and more than twice that height above the <span class="tooltip" title=' The valley that runs southeast from Jerusalem down to the Dead Sea. Further Reading '>Kidron Valley floor. It is truly one of the great architectural feats of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Refers both to a period (i.e., from Alexander the Great to the Romans, which is 332 - 64 BCE in our region) and the Greek culture that Alexander brought. Further Reading '>Hellenistic or Roman periods. In the center background you can see the water tower and buildings of the Hebrew University campus on <span class="tooltip" title=' A hill jus…
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: south of the Temple Mount
description: This aerial photograph shows the southern part of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount and its massive wall. In the foreground of this photograph is the spine of the hill that was the location of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Built by David ca. 970 BCE on the site of the earlier Jebusite city Jebus; it was also called Jerusalem. It physically sits on the slope of hill south of the modern Old City and Temple Mount, near the Gihon Spring. Further Reading '>City of David in the First Temple period. To the top right is the building of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The only mosque on the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif. It sits on the southwest corner of the platform and has a gray dome. Further Reading '>Al-Aqsa mosque (its grey dome is just cut off), and to its left, the modern building with the arched windows is Yeshivat Esh ha-Torah (a Jewish orthodox learning center).
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Solomon's Stables
description: This photograph was taken underneath the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount, in the area known as Solomon's Stables (at the southern end of the Temple Mount, underneath the current Al Aqsa Mosque). Rather than being stables, they are cavernous halls that were built during <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount. The arches supported flat paving stones on the Temple Mount's surface, thus allowing Herod to level and flatten the elevated surface of the Temple Mount compound. The monumental steps on the southern side of the Temple Mount led through the Hulda Gates into this area before reaching the top of the Temple Mount.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Temple Mount
description: In this photograph the <span class="tooltip" title=' "Kubbat ash-Sakhra" in Arabic, this is the golden-domed shrine that is located on the Temple Mount (or Haram esh-Sharif) in Jerusalem. It was built by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 691 CE. Further Reading '>Dome of the Rock is visible in the upper left and the dome of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The only mosque on the Temple Mount/Haram esh-Sharif. It sits on the southwest corner of the platform and has a gray dome. Further Reading '>Al-Aqsa Mosque is visible in the upper right. Below them, Robinson's Arch is visible, springing out of the Western Wall (to the left). The tower rising up at the center of the photo is a minaret (a tower used by the announcer of Muslim prayers), built by the <span class="tooltip" title=' The Arabic word for "owned". The term was initially applied to the warriors who were servants of the Ayyubids, but was later used in reference to the Mamluk dynasty (1260-1516 CE) that was created by their rise to power. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Mamluks in the 14th century for the Fachariya ('women's') Mosque on the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount. In this photograph, the lighter brown color is indicative of earlier remains that have recently been excavated.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Temple Mount wall
description: This photograph shows a vertical seam in the eastern wall of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The 100 foot-wide southernmost stretch of the wall (the left half in the photo) is clearly Herodian construction and indicative of the <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod's additions to the Temple Mount.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: Temple Mount
description: This aerial photograph of the <span class="tooltip" title=' Also known as the Haram esh-Sharif ("Noble Sanctuary" in Arabic), it is the site where the Jewish Temple stood and where the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. The massive Temple Mount compound that exists today was built by Herod the Great in the late 1st century BCE and early 1st century CE. Further Reading '>Temple Mount compound, taken from the northeast, shows the large platform at its center, on which sits the <span class="tooltip" title=' "Kubbat ash-Sakhra" in Arabic, this is the golden-domed shrine that is located on the Temple Mount (or Haram esh-Sharif) in Jerusalem. It was built by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik in 691 CE. Further Reading '>Dome of the Rock. To the left of the Dome is the Al Aqsa Mosque, and in the close foreground (at the bottom of the photo) is the eastern wall of Temple Mount with the sealed Golden Gate (known also as the Mercy Gate and the Beautiful gate). The gate was sealed in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The Turkish empire from the 16th-20th centuries CE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Ottoman period. In the background is the Old City of Jerusalem and even further in the background are the high rises of the modern city.
date: -0019-01-01/0070-01-01

Jerusalem: phases of the ancient city walls
description: This image shows the growth of Jerusalem's walls and fortifications over the centuries of the <span class="tooltip" title=" 519 BCE - 70 CE ">Second Temple period (516BCE – 70CE). The first set of walls (in blue) shows the perimeter of the city during <span class="tooltip" title=' Also called "Maccabean," the two words refer to the dynasty of independent Jewish rulers in the 2nd-1st centuries BCE (167-63 BCE) who came to power after the Maccabaean Revolt. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Hasmonean rule (second-first century BCE). <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish king of Edumaean descent who ruled Palestine under Roman authority from 40-4 BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>King Herod added the Second Wall (Green) in late first century BCE to accommodate the extension of the city and the new neighborhood he added in the north. Note that the northern line of this wall and the way it connect to the fortress Antonia is disputed by modern scholars and the map shows a second alternative with the broken green line. The historian <span class="tooltip" title=' A Jewish historian from whom we know much about life in 1st century CE Palestine. His works include a history of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, which began in 66 CE, entitled The Jewish War Further Reading '>Josephus attributes the Third Wall (Red) to Herod Agrippa (41-44CE) and claims it was never really completed before the eruption of the great Revolt (in 66CE). Here too, the map shows two options for the northern line of this wall, one as suggested by the archaeologists Sukenik (at the top of the picture), and an alternative line that follows the walls of the current Old City. The present Old City Wall (Gray) was built by the <span class="tooltip" title=' The Turkish empire from the 16th-20th centuries CE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Ottoman ruler <span class="tooltip" title=' Suleiman I, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the longest-reigning sultan of the…