Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have made several discoveries, including an elaborate first-century villa with its own ritual bath, after a project began increasing disabled access to Jerusalem’s Western Wall. The villa, located a few steps from where the biblical Jewish temples stood, was uncovered during several years of salvage excavations in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s historic Old City. Archaeologists conduct salvage excavations to make a scientific study of ancient artifacts and buildings before they are removed to make way for modern structures. The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest site where Jews can pray and is visited by millions of worshipers and tourists every year. But to reach the site from the adjacent Jewish quarter, visitors must usually descend 142 steps or take a long detour around the city walls to one of the nearby gates. In 2017, the Jewish Quarter Reconstruction and Development Company got the go-ahead to begin construction of two elevators that will allow visitors to make the 26-meter (85-foot) descent with greater ease. The site was a narrow strip of largely undeveloped hillside adjacent to the existing staircase at the eastern end of the Jewish Quarter. “The Western Wall is not a privilege, it is fundamental for a Jew or for any person from around the world who wants to come to this holy place,” said Herzl Ben Ari, CEO of the development group. “We have to allow it for everyone.” However, like modern development projects in other ancient cities such as Constantinople, Rome, Athens and Thessaloniki, archaeological findings have slowed progress. “This plot of land where the elevator will be built has remained undisturbed, giving us a great opportunity to dig into all the layers, all the layers of ancient Jerusalem,” said Michal Haber, an archaeologist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Five years into the venture, the archaeological work is nearing completion, but the lifts are not expected to go online until 2025. During their excavation, the archaeologists carefully peeled back successive layers of construction and debris that had accumulated over two millennia, more than 9 meters (30 feet) in total. Historic sites included Ottoman pipes built into a 2,000-year-old aqueduct that supplied Jerusalem with water from springs near Bethlehem. early Islamic oil lamps. bricks bearing the name of the 10th Legion, the Roman army that besieged, destroyed and then encamped in Jerusalem two millennia ago. and the ruins of the villa of Judea from the last days before the destruction of the ancient Jewish temple in the year 70. Archaeologist Oren Gutfeld said they were surprised to uncover traces from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina in the 2nd century. Fragments of frescoes and intricate mosaics from the villa indicated the wealth of the occupants of the house. But when they reached the rock, Gutfeld and Haber’s team made one last find: a private Jewish ritual bath carved into the limestone mountainside and domed with huge dressed stones. Haber said the most significant thing about the bathhouse, known as a mikveh, was its location overlooking the Temple esplanade. “We are in the wealthy neighborhood of the city on the eve of its destruction,” he said. While the elevator project is less controversial, development or archaeological digs in Jerusalem, a city holy to three religions, often take on a political dimension. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their desired state, while Israel considers the entire city to be its eternal, undivided capital. Israel captured east Jerusalem, which includes the Old City and holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most of the international community.
