Fascinating Kotel find
In what they call a "thrilling" discovery, archaeologists have just unearthed a large section of the Western Wall that hasn't been seen in almost two millennia.
IN what they call a “thrilling” discovery, archaeologists have just unearthed a large section of the Western Wall that hasn’t been seen in almost two millennia.
But the drama that has been unfolding under the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City in recent months didn’t end there.
Unbeknown to residents, archaeologists were also discovering an ancient theatre, mentioned in old texts and long dreamed about by historians.
“From a research perspective, this is a sensational find,” the archaeologists said when revealing news of the theatre at a press conference on Monday.
“The discovery was a real surprise,” said the scholars, Joe Uziel, Tehillah Lieberman and Avi Solomon, stating that they started digging to date a nearby structure, Wilson’s Arch, and were staggered to come across a Roman-era theatre.
It seems to have been built a few decades after the destruction of the Second Temple.
“We did not imagine that a window would open for us into the mystery of Jerusalem’s lost theatre,” the archaeologists commented.
“Like with much archaeological research, the expectation is that a certain thing will be found, but at the end of the process other findings, surprising and thought-provoking, are unearthed.”
The theatre was never used, though it is unclear why, and it was covered in rubble in the fourth century as locals were worried it could collapse.
The discovery of the theatre along with an eight metre-deep section of the Kotel, has delighted religious figures as well as archaeologists.
“Each finding thrills me to new and powerful heights,” said Shmuel Rabinovitch, rabbi of the Western Wall. “We have a great deal of archaeological work ahead and I am certain that the deeper we dig, the earlier the periods we will reach.”
NATHAN JEFFAY
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