In the excavations of the Givati parking lot, managed by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the City of David, an unusual find was recently discovered: thick wooden beams that were burned during the destruction of the First Temple, in the year 1448 - 2448 years ago.
Excavation director, Efrat Botzer: "It appears that these beams, which were probably used to roof an inner courtyard of a building from the First Temple period, collapsed to the floor of the building during the destruction. We assume that the plaster, which covered the walls of the building and melted during the fire, also covered the charred wooden beams, and it is this that contributed to their extraordinary preservation.".
""It is very rare in Israel to find trees with a good number of rings, and here, in the City of David, we found thick beams that have many rings, and this presents research potential," adds Dr. Johanna Regev of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who is studying the find.
""The more rings a tree has, the higher the dating resolution," she explains. "If until now we could date a find within a range of hundreds of years, now we can date it more precisely, within a range of only 10 years.".
The remains of the destruction. Photo: Reut Wilf, City of David
The excavation directors, Dr. Yiftach Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University, explain that the find testifies to the intensity of the destruction in Jerusalem: "It is clear to us that this large structure was deliberately burned and collapsed all at once. It is interesting to see that in the Persian period, after the destruction, the residents blocked the entrance to this area but continued to live in other parts of the structure. According to them, the decision to settle next to the ruins and within them shows a strong desire to preserve the memory.
""Creating a space of remembrance is a basic human need, especially after a traumatic event. The residents consciously chose to leave the destruction as evidence of the devastation, and rebuilt alongside it instead of vacating it.".
""We are just before Tisha B'Av," adds Botzer. "It gives the feeling that you saw the moment of destruction, the moment when everything happened, and it is very touching.".
