The longest section of ancient wall ever to surround Jerusalem during the Hanukkah festival has been discovered.

Israeli archaeologists have just completed the excavation of the longest section of the foundation of the ancient wall that once surrounded Jerusalem more than 2,100 years ago, uncovering rare evidence of a truce agreement between ancient kingdoms.

This section of wall, dating back to the Hasmonean dynasty – a period associated with the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah – is nearly 50 meters long and about 5 meters wide. It is believed to be the foundation of a large-scale wall system that surrounded ancient Jerusalem, with 60 watchtowers over 10 meters high.

According to historical records, the Hasmonean Walls were taller than the current walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, which were mostly built during the Ottoman period.

One striking finding was that the wall sections above the foundation showed signs of deliberate and very uniform dismantling – rather than dilapidation due to time or war.

Dr. Amit Re'em, one of the lead archaeologists on the Israel Antiquities Authority project, said the evidence could be related to the 132-133 BC truce between the Jewish king John Hyrcanus I and the Seleucid king Antiochus VII of the Hellenistic period – a descendant of Emperor Antiochus IV in the Hanukkah story.

According to the ancient historian Josephus, to end the siege of Jerusalem, King Hyrcanus agreed to demolish the Hasmonean walls and pay 3,000 silver coins along with 500 hostages.

Dr. Re'em believes the archaeological team has found evidence of the dismantling of the city walls as part of this armistice agreement.

However, some experts offer a different hypothesis: that the section of wall may have been removed to make way for the palace of Herod the Great, the king appointed by the Roman Empire to rule the province of Judaea (now the disputed territory between Israel and Palestine) from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC.

Professor Orit Peleg-Barkat (Hebrew University) argues that it is unlikely Jerusalem was left undefended for more than a century.

The section of wall unearthed beneath the Kishleh building – a structure built in 1830 that served as a barracks and later a prison for the Ottoman and British empires – shows traces of iron bars and graffiti in English, Hebrew, and Arabic still visible on the walls.

The site was later transferred to the Tower of David Museum. Excavations began in 1999 but were interrupted by the second Palestinian Intifada against the State of Israel, and only resumed two years ago.

Over the next few years, the Tower of David Museum will install a floating glass floor above the ruins, transforming the room into a new exhibition space for the Schulich Archaeological-Art-Creative Gallery. The renovation is expected to take at least two years.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-hien-doan-tuong-co-dai-nhat-tung-bao-quanh-jerusalem-thoi-le-hanukkah-post1082255.vnp