Palestine During the Reign of the Hasmonaeans: Map
description: This map shows the expansion of 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 kingdom in the period between 160 and 76 BCE. The capital of the kingdom was always in <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea, colored light blue. The Hasmonaean ruler Jonathan (160-142 BCE) added the yellow portions; his brother <span class="tooltip" title=' One of the Hasmonaean (Maccabaean) High Priests and military leaders from 142-134 BCE. Further Reading '>Simon (142-134 BCE) added the red portions; Simon's son, <span class="tooltip" title=' The Hasmonaean (Maccabaean) High Priest and political/military leader from 134-104 BCE. Further Reading '>Hyrcanus I (134-104 BCE) added the light blue portions outside of Judaea; Hyrcanus's son, <span class="tooltip" title=' One of the Hasmonaean (Maccabaean) rulers, he was High Priest from 104-103 BCE. Further Reading '>Aristobulus I (104-103 BCE) added the dark purple regions in <span class="tooltip" title=' "The Galilee" is the hilly region north of the Central Hill in the Land of Israel/Palestine. It consists of two parts, Upper and Lower. The Sea of Galilee in Lower Galilee and the Huleh Valley in Upper Galilee mark its eastern border. Further Reading '>Galilee; and Aristobulus' brother, <span class="tooltip" title=' The first of the Hasmonaean (Maccabaean) rulers to declare himself to be King (as opposed to High Priest). He ruled from 103-76 BCE. Further Reading '>Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BCE), who expanded the kingdom to its greatest extent (the red line), added the light purple areas.
date: -0160-01-01/-0076-01-01

Jerusalem: Unopened scroll
description: This photograph shows what one of the <span class="tooltip" title=' A collection of First and Second Temple period texts which were preserved by the arid climate of the Dead Sea region. The caves wherein the scrolls were deposited have often been connected to the nearby settlement of Qumran, and the Scrolls themselves are generally thought to have been written and/or copied by the Essenes. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Dead Sea Scrolls looked like when it was found (before it was unrolled). Though a scroll in this state is much easier to deal with than others that were broken into thousands of fragments, the 2,000 year-old state of the animal skin on which the text was written was extremely dry and fragile. They must be humidified and slowly unrolled over time. Often times insects had bored through them or the animal skin had stuck to itself in clumps. This scroll was 9.3 feet long when unrolled.
date: -0100-01-01

Qumran
description: This photograph shows the inside of Cave 1, the first of 11 <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaean Desert caves that were found to contain the <span class="tooltip" title=' A collection of First and Second Temple period texts which were preserved by the arid climate of the Dead Sea region. The caves wherein the scrolls were deposited have often been connected to the nearby settlement of Qumran, and the Scrolls themselves are generally thought to have been written and/or copied by the Essenes. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Dead Sea Scrolls. Seven intact scrolls came from this cave, including the two oldest copies of the book of <span class="tooltip" title=' Both the name of an Israelite prophet and the name of the book of his prophecies that were included in the Hebrew Bible and consequently in the Christian Old Testament. Further Reading '>Isaiah (they date to the late 2nd century BCE; the next-earliest complete copy dates to the 10th century CE), a previously unknown work that embellished or commented on biblical books (called the 'Genesis Apocryphon'), and four sectarian writings (i.e., books written by a Jewish sect, probably the <span class="tooltip" title=' An archaeological site in the Judaean Desert in which the remains of a Jewish sectarian group were uncovered. Modern scholars tend to identify this group with the Essenes, who lived there between 150 BCE and 68 CE and probably produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Further Reading '>Qumran <span class="tooltip" title=' A sect of Jews from the Second Temple period.who lived in many cities in the ancient world. However, t They are best known from the desert settlement of Qumran, which is nearand the nearby the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. As a result, it is believed commonly held that the Dead Sea Scrolls were written by the particular subset ofthe Essenes who lived at Qumr…
date: -0150-01-01/0073-01-01

Rome: Arch of Titus - overview
description: This photograph shows the Arch of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman general during the First Jewish Revolt and, later, the Roman emperor. He is especially well known for his role in the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 CE. A triumphal arch erected in Rome to commemorate his victories depicts Jewish captives and the menorah that was housed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Further Reading '>Titus, erected near the eastern entrance to the Forum of the city of Rome to honor Titus's defeat of the Jews and the taking of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The inscription at the top reads 'The Roman Senate and People (dedicate this) to the divine Titus Vespasianus <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Augustus, son of the divine <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman emperor from 69-79 CE. Prior to this he was the general in charge of the Roman response to the first Jewish revolt. Further Reading '>Vespasian.'
date: 0070-01-01

Qumran
description: This photograph shows the outside of Cave 1, which, according to the common story, is what the two <span class="tooltip" title=' A term used for a group of predominantly nomadic, desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group that is traditionally divided into tribes or clans. Further Reading '>Bedouin shepherd boys saw and threw a rock into, hoping to find a lost goat. Instead, they heard the crash of broken pottery and found the first of the <span class="tooltip" title=' A collection of First and Second Temple period texts which were preserved by the arid climate of the Dead Sea region. The caves wherein the scrolls were deposited have often been connected to the nearby settlement of Qumran, and the Scrolls themselves are generally thought to have been written and/or copied by the Essenes. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Dead Sea Scrolls.
date: -0150-01-01/0073-01-01

Samaria-Sebaste: the Forum
description: This aerial photograph shows the Roman-style forum and adjoining basilica at Sebaste, which is located in the central part of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The hilly region that runs north-south through the middle of the Land of Israel/Palestine. It is bounded by the Jezreel Valley to the north, by the Jordan River Valley to the east, by the Negev Desert to the south, and by the Seashore Plains to the west. Further Reading '>Central Hill. <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 built this town around 30 BCE in honor of <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Caesar Augustus (Sebastos is Greek for the Latin word Augustus). Even though the region's inhabitants included a large number of <span class="tooltip" title=' A group of people turned a nation who lived in the northern parts of the Central Hill, namely in the territories of the former northern kingdom of Israel. They continue to exist till this very day. According to the Bible, the Samaritans competed with the Judeans in the Persian era. Further Reading '>Samaritans, Herod built a gigantic temple to Augustus on the highest point in the area.
date: -0030-01-01/-0004-01-01

Rome: Arch of Titus - detail of the interior
description: This photograph shows in the inside relief of the Arch of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman general during the First Jewish Revolt and, later, the Roman emperor. He is especially well known for his role in the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 CE. A triumphal arch erected in Rome to commemorate his victories depicts Jewish captives and the menorah that was housed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Further Reading '>Titus, located near the eastern entrance to the Forum in Rome. The arch was erected by emperor Domitian, Titus' brother, to honor and commemorate the defeat of the Jews and the capture and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Depicted on the relief is the triumphal procession after Titus' return to Rome, which included the golden menorah and other implements that were taken from the Temple.
date: 0070-01-01

Jericho: Herod's palace
description: This aerial photograph shows the archaeological remains 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 '>Herod's palace at Jericho, which is located in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaean Desert, on the bank of <span class="tooltip" title=' A seasonal riverbed (i.e., a dry riverbed in which water runs only during rainstorms). They are widespread in the dry regions of the Middle East. Further Reading '>Wadi Qelt, near the northern tip of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The lowest place on earth (1,388 feet below sea level), it is located to the east of the Central Hill, between the modern countries of Israel and Jordan. Further Reading '>dead Sea. He likely chose it because it is in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The arid region between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Further Reading '>Judaean Desert, so is warm in the winter time, and because 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 kings had already built palaces and an infrastructure of water channels for bath houses and spas. Herod constructed a royal villa complete with royal gardens and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This photograph shows only the main building of the palace complex. On the left is a reception hall that was paved with marble and colored stone (a recent discovery in this period). Next to it is an open courtyard with columns on 3 sides and an apse at the back. Along the back of the building on the right side are five rooms that belonged to an elaborate bath that had been constructed in the best Roman style.
date: -0040-01-01/-0004-01-01

Caesarea Maritima: city street
description: This photograph shows one of the city streets in Caesarea, which 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 as a port city on the Mediterranean cost. Two seated statues can be seen facing each other across the street. When Herod's son <span class="tooltip" title=' Herod Archelaus (23 BCE - 18 CE) was one of the three sons of Herod the Great. When his father died in 4 BCE he was given the regions of Judaea, Samaria, and Idumaea. He ruled these regions from 4 BCE - 6 CE, at which time the Romans deposed him and made these regions subject to direct Roman rule. Further Reading '>Archaeleus was deposed in 6 CE, the Roman procurator assigned to govern the area made his residence here, and <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea was administered from this lavish seaside city.
date: -0025-01-01/0600-01-01

Caesarea Maritima: nearby aqueduct
description: This photograph shows the aqueduct that fed the city of Caesarea Maritima, a port city (notice the waves of the Mediterranean on the left) 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 the Great built nearly from scratch between 25-13 BCE. The monumental aqueduct stretches north along the coast for 6.5 miles to a spring in the Mount Carmel range, which is barely visible in the haze at the top right of the photo. Beyond that point a tunnel was cut through the mountain for another 6 miles to tap additional fresh water supplies for Caesarea's large population.
date: -0025-01-01/0600-01-01

Jerusalem: Coin of 'Jonathan the King' (Alexander Jannaeus)
description: A typical coin struck by 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 (Maccabean) king <span class="tooltip" title=' The first of the Hasmonaean (Maccabaean) rulers to declare himself to be King (as opposed to High Priest). He ruled from 103-76 BCE. Further Reading '>Alexander Jannaeus (ruled from 103-76 BCE). The symbol on the left is an anchor and the symbol on the right is a lily flower, which was a symbol for Jerusalem. The inscription around the anchor is in Greek, whereas the inscription on the other side, around the flower is 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, written in the ancient Iron Age script. Jannaeus is referring to himself with the title "King." All of the other Hasmonaean rulers called themselves 'High Priest' instead of "King." The coin reflects both the process of hellenization and the effort of the Hasmonaeans to maintain strong ties with the ancient ethos of Israel.
date: -0103-01-01/-0076-01-01

Samaria-Sebaste: the Roman Temple
description: This monumental stairway is all that still exists of the monumental temple 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 the Great (37-4 BCE) erected and dedicated to the Roman Emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Caesar Augustus. The temple's foundations were laid directly over the top of the palaces of the <span class="tooltip" title=' According to the Bible, the descendents of the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel who formed the nation of Israel. Further Reading '>Israelite kings <span class="tooltip" title=' The king of the northern kingdom of Israel from 880-847 BCE. He is mentioned in the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III and the Mesha Stele. Further Reading '>Omri and <span class="tooltip" title=' Ahab was the son of Omri and king of the northern kingdom of Israel from ca. 869-850 BCE. He led the consolidated forces against Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar. Further Reading '>Ahab. The temple was damaged when the city was destroyed in the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-70 CE) but it was repaired and enlarged by the Emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' The Emperor of Rome from 193-211 CE. Further Reading '>Septimius Severus in 200 CE when he rebuilt the city and granted it colonial status. In the background are the hills of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The hilly region that runs north-south through the middle of the Land of Israel/Palestine. It is bounded by the Jezreel Valley to the north, by the Jordan River Valley to the east, by the Negev Desert to the south, and by the Seashore Plains to the west. Further Reading '>Central Hill.
date: -0027-01-01/0070-01-01

Araq el-Amir: Tobiad Palace
description: This photograph shows the remains of a <span class="tooltip" title=' A philhellene (i.e., lovers of Greek culture) Jewish family who were in power in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Hellenistic period. Further Reading '>Tobiad palace at Araq el-Amir in modern Jordan (east of the <span class="tooltip" title=' A river that runs south from its source on the slopes of Mt. Hermon to the Sea of Galilee and south again from the Sea of Galilee through the Jordan River Valley to the Dead Sea. Further Reading '>Jordan River). The Tobiads were a Jewish ruling family in the late 3rd and early 2nd centuries BCE who, according to the books of 2 <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 '>Maccabees and <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, were philhellenes (that is, they embraced <span class="tooltip" title=" The cultural process by which Greek culture and language intermingled with Middle Eastern traditions as the result of Alexander the Great's conquests in 333-323 BCE. Further Reading ">Hellenism. Philhellene comes from the words philos [love of] and Hellene [Greece]). The book of 1 Maccabees tells us that there were Jews in this period who so embraced Hellenism that they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem (where young men would exercise in the nude) and transformed Jerusalem into a Greek polis called Antioch In Jerusalem. The Tobiad palatial residence at Araq el-Amir seems to support these accounts, as it is a Jewish residence yet is clearly <span class="tooltip" title=' Refers both to a period (i.e., from Alexander the Great to the Romans, which is 332 - 64…
date: -0332-01-01/-0167-01-01

Caesarea Maritima: the harbor
description: This aerial photograph shows one of the great engineering feats of antiquity: the enclosed harbor at Caesarea Maritima. The coast of Israel/Palestine has few good natural harbors, so <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 built one using the state-of-the-art technology of cement that would cure underwater to build one of the two or three largest harbors in the Mediterranean. (The harbor itself included the dark spots visible under the water that extend out of the photo to the left.) Behind and on both sides of the harbor Herod built a massive city that included a temple to <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Caesar Augustus on the high spot overlooking the harbor.
date: -0025-01-01/0600-01-01

Emmaus: Roman Road
description: The Romans are well known for having built stone-paved roads in order to speed communication and enable the army to move more efficiently. They built an extensive road network that connected the main cities of all of their provinces. This one led from the port of Joppa through the town of Emmaus, a colony for veteran soldiers built by the Emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman emperor from 69-79 CE. Prior to this he was the general in charge of the Roman response to the first Jewish revolt. Further Reading '>Vespasian in 70 CE, to Jerusalem.
date: -0064-01-01/0324-01-01

Samaria-Sebaste: the Mausoleum
description: This building is a mausoleum, i.e. a monumental burial structure, from the 2nd-3rd century CE. Bodies were placed inside the building in sarcophagi (lidded coffins carved out of limestone). Mausolea are extremely rare in Roman Palestine. The two columns at the entrance are carved in Corinthian Style with capitals that look like acanthus leaves. This testifies to the Roman taste of the wealthy family (whose identity is unknown) that built this structure.
date: 0100-01-01/0300-01-01

Samaria-Sebaste: the Roman theater
description: This theater is an example of both a new custom and a new architectural form brought eastward by the conquests of <span class="tooltip" title=' A Macedonian leader who established Greek hegemony over the Near East in the late 4th century BCE. Further Reading | Even Further Reading '>Alexander the Great and the Romans. Theater was a Greek invention, but many (if not most) 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 'influences' came to Israel/Palestine as a result of the Romans. This one 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 (37-4 BCE) soon after the city was given to him by <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Caesar Augustus in 27 BCE. The city of Sebaste continued to be inhabited through the 6th century CE.
date: -0027-01-01/0070-01-01

Caesarea Maritima: Roman theater
description: This aerial photograph of the southern portion of the city of Caesarea Maritima shows the huge theater that looks out toward the ocean and the setting sun. The land that juts out into the ocean at the lower left corner of the photo is the so-called 'Promontory Palace,' also 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. The area of green to the left of the palace, between the modern road and the ocean, has been excavated since this photograph was taken, revealing a long colonnaded street and a hippodrome for chariot races.
date: -0025-01-01/0600-01-01

Masada: Roman catapult stones
description: The large stones visible in the foreground of this picture are catapult stones that were used in the Roman siege of the <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaean desert fortress of Masada (in 73 CE). They are obviously very large and very heavy, and were made by the Roman soldiers when they arrived at Masada and began the siege that marked the end of the Great Revolt.
date: 0070-01-01/0073-01-01

Glass Vessels from the Roman period
description: These vessels are typical of those created in the Roman period. Glass bead jewelry is known to have been made as early as 3,000-2,000 BCE, core-formed glass vessels were made beginning around 1,500 BCE, and molded glass vessels are known from 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 period. The earliest known blown glass dates to the <span class="tooltip" title=" 63 BCE-70 or 135 CE ">Early Roman period, and seems to have been first discovered in Israel/Palestine.
date: -0064-01-01/-0001-01-01

Herodium: aerial view
description: This aerial photograph, looking straight down on <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 (37-4 BCE) palace at Herodium, clearly shows its double circular defense wall and four towers. Three of the semi-circular towers were defensive, while the completely round tower probably served for both defense and as the coolest, breeziest place in the hot summer months. Directly in front of the round tower is a large rectangular garden courtyard surrounded by a colonnade and flanked at both north and south ends by niches whose benches would have provided places to sit. A bathhouse was found at the lower left quadrant of the enclosure and a dining area was found in the lower right. During Herod's lifetime the walls would have stuck up above the ground; at some point after Herod died the mound was covered with stones to give it the appearance that it has today: that of nothing more than a hill, with the palace sunk into it.
date: -0040-01-01/-0004-01-01

Jerusalem: Eastern Terra Sigillata Juglet
description: This jug, which was found in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The southwestern of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. Further Reading '>Jewish Quarter excavations in Jerusalem, is made of a type of pottery called Eastern Terra Sigillata 'A', or ESA. Its red, lustrous slip is one of the hallmarks of this kind of pottery and is partially the result of the amount of oxygen in the kiln when the jug was fired. ESA was first produced around 140 BCE in the eastern Mediterranean, probably on the island of Crete and/or along the coast of the northern <span class="tooltip" title=' The modern name for the region that comprises the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea - i.e., the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Further Reading '>Levant, but it became very popular and by the 1st century CE was exported all over the Mediterranean. It is one of the types of pottery that can be closely dated and helps archaeologists to better date the soil in which it is found.

Masada: aerial view
description: This aerial close-up of the northern outcropping of the mountaintop fortress of Masada shows the three-tiered Northern Palace 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 (37-4 BCE), as well as storehouses and a bath house (at the top of the photograph). 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 wrote that when the rebels who fled from Jerusalem arrived at Masada, they found still-edible wheat in the storerooms.
date: 0070-01-01/0073-01-01

Masada: the synagogue
description: This photograph shows the <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 within the fortress of Masada, which is located in the <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaean Desert (note the <span class="tooltip" title=' The lowest place on earth (1,388 feet below sea level), it is located to the east of the Central Hill, between the modern countries of Israel and Jordan. Further Reading '>Dead Sea in the top right of the picture). At the end of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70 CE, some of the rebels who were part of a group called the Zealots, fled Jerusalem to the mountaintop fortress of Masada. They either refurbished a previously-existing synagogue or turned a room into a synagogue, building benches along the walls and installing a small inner room to serve as a genizah (storage room for used or damaged scrolls). Two pits dug into the floor of the small room yielded two scrolls, one of <span class="tooltip" title=' The fifth book of the Torah (the "Law" section of the Hebrew Bible). Further Reading '>Deuteronomy and one of <span class="tooltip" title=' The third book of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and a book in the Christian Old Testament. Further Reading '>Ezekiel. Fragments of other scrolls were found nearby. Some of the fragments appear to have been written in the same scribal tradition as texts found in the <span class="tooltip" title=' An archaeological site in the Judaean Desert in which the remains of a Jewish sectarian group were uncovered. Modern scholars tend to identify this group with the Essenes, who lived there between 150 BCE and 68 CE and probably produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Further Re…
date: 0070-01-01/0073-01-01

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

The Jewish Revolt Against Rome: Map
description: This map shows the areas of Israel/Palestine that revolted against Rome in 66 CE (also known as 'the Great Revolt'), as well as the paths of attacks and counter-attacks that occurred during the four years of fighting. Pink areas (<span class="tooltip" title=' "The Galilee" is the hilly region north of the Central Hill in the Land of Israel/Palestine. It consists of two parts, Upper and Lower. The Sea of Galilee in Lower Galilee and the Huleh Valley in Upper Galilee mark its eastern border. Further Reading '>Galilee, Perea, and <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea) indicate regions in which there was much support for the revolt; pink striped areas indicate regions with partial support. Red lines indicate the path of the 12th Legion; green lines indicate <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman emperor from 69-79 CE. Prior to this he was the general in charge of the Roman response to the first Jewish revolt. Further Reading '>Vespasian's various expeditions against different parts of the country (note that he never assaults Jerusalem); blue lines indicate <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman general during the First Jewish Revolt and, later, the Roman emperor. He is especially well known for his role in the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 CE. A triumphal arch erected in Rome to commemorate his victories depicts Jewish captives and the menorah that was housed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Further Reading '>Titus' final move against Jerusalem, with three legions (5th, 10th, and 15th) who joined the 12th legion and numerous other auxiliary forces.
date: 0066-01-01/0073-01-01

The Roman Empire, 100 BCE - 150 CE: Map
description: This map shows the gradual expansion of the Roman Empire around the Mediterranean between the years 100 BCE and 150 CE. Red areas indicate Roman control in 100 BCE; yellow areas indicate the extent of the empire at the time of <span class="tooltip" title=" A Roman General, statesman, Consul, author, and eventually dictator. Julius Caesar's reign marks the historical transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. He was famously assassinated on the Ides of March (that is, March 15), 44 BCE. Further Reading ">Julius Caesar's death in 44 BCE; green areas indicate areas annexed by <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Augustus; and blue areas indicate regions annexed between the death of Augustus (14 CE) and 150 CE.
date: -0100-01-01/0150-01-01

Rome: Judaea Capta coin
description: This bronze coin, which was minted in Rome in 71 CE after the Romans captured Jerusalem, features the profile of the Emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' A Roman emperor from 69-79 CE. Prior to this he was the general in charge of the Roman response to the first Jewish revolt. Further Reading '>Vespasian on the recto (left), and, on the verso (right), a Roman soldier standing over a mourning woman who symbolizes the defeated <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea. Between them is a palm tree. The inscription around these two figures reads IUDEA CAPTA, Latin for 'captured Judaea.'
date: 0071-01-01

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

Herod's Kingdom: Map
description: This map shows both the size 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 '>Herod's kingdom at the beginning of his reign (the purple areas that include <span class="tooltip" title=' The name of the administrative region around Jerusalem in the late Second Temple and Roman periods. Further Reading '>Judaea, Perea, and <span class="tooltip" title=' "The Galilee" is the hilly region north of the Central Hill in the Land of Israel/Palestine. It consists of two parts, Upper and Lower. The Sea of Galilee in Lower Galilee and the Huleh Valley in Upper Galilee mark its eastern border. Further Reading '>Galilee) and the regions that were given to him later by his Roman benefactors, mainly the emperor <span class="tooltip" title=' Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE, Caesar Augustus lived until 14 CE. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and eventually succeeded him as Caesar of Rome (at which time he took the name "Augustus"). He then became the Emperor of Rome, reigning from 27 BCE-14 CE. Further Reading '>Augustus (the lighter pink areas). Herod ruled as a vassal king of the Romans from 37-4 BCE.
date: -0040-01-01/-0004-01-01

Masada: aerial view
description: This aerial close-up of the northern outcropping of the mountaintop fortress of Masada shows the three-tiered Northern Palace 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 '>Herod the Great, as well as storehouses and a bath house (at the top of the photograph). 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 wrote that when the rebels who fled from Jerusalem arrived at Masada, they found still-edible wheat in the storerooms
date: 0070-01-01/0073-01-01

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