A mysterious 2,000 year old pyramid-shaped staircase has been uncovered by Israeli archaeologists in the former site of Jerusalem’s ancient City of David, The Jerusalem Post reports.
THE STAIRCASE IN ANCIENT JERUSALEM
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the structure was discovered next to an archaic street that linked between the destroyed Second Temple and the Pool of Siloam, a pool cut in rocks on the City of David’s southern slope. The area is referenced in the Bible and has been highly excavated.
As Discovery News mentioned, the street that the staircase was discovered next to is thought to have been built during the fourth decade of the first century CE. This period is known as the Second Temple era, because it refers to the years in which the temple built by King Herod stood as Jerusalem’s religious center.
NO STRUCTURE LIKE IT HAS BEEN FOUND BEFORE
In a statement, the Israeli archaeologists Joe Uziel and Nahson Szanton commented on the discovery’s novelty: “To date, such a structure has yet to be found along the stepped street in the numerous excavations that have taken place in Jerusalem, and to the best of our knowledge, outside of it.” Szanton and Uziel led the excavation, which was coordinated with Ir David Foundation and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
WHAT WAS THE STAIRCASE FOR?
Noting that the staircase’s function “remains a mystery”, the archaeologists nonetheless speculated. “We believe the structure was a kind of monumental podium that attracted the public’s attention when walking on the city’s main street. It would be very interesting to know what was said there 2,000 years ago,” Szanton and Uziel said. “Were messages announced here on behalf of the government? Perhaps news or gossip, or admonitions and street preaching? Unfortunately we do not know.”
WHY IT COULD BE A PODIUM
Though its specific use is unknown, it is likely that the staircase was used to give information to ancient Jerusalem’s public. “Stones”, the archaeologists said, are mentioned in rabbinic literature for serving “public purposes in the Second Temple era.”
While there is evidence suggesting this, the archaeologists warned against drawing conclusions in their statement: “It is certainly possible the rabbinical sources provide valuable information about structures, such as this, although for the time being there is no definitive proof.”
Featured image courtesy of SHAI HALEVY/IAA
