The Mount Zion Expedition is one of the most exciting sites in Jerusalem today. Located adjacent to King David's Tomb, the Dormition Abbey, and the Cenacle, traditionally thought to be the site of the Last Supper, the excavations overlook ancient Jerusalem and border the gates to the Old City. The entire hillside will be excavated over the next 10 years, with an important urban redevelopment contingent.
The area which was chosen first for archaeological study is situated close to a number of important places in the history of the city, namely the Praetorium where Jesus was tried before Pontius Pilate, and the House of Caiaphas and the other priestly families in the Upper City of Jerusalem in the first century CE. In the Byzantine period, the area was situated at the southern end of the Cardo Maximus, which was a grand columned street and in its vicinity Justinian (mid 6th century) built a very large church.
The crest of Mount Zion was a focus for the building of houses in the Early Islamic Period. The Crusaders and the Ayyubids built their fortifications across the crest of the hill, and in the early 13th century, the local Sultan destroyed the gate-tower, which was located in the area of our excavation.
Entrance to Zedekiah's Caves
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Adjacent to this area is Zedekiah's Cave, an archaeological project located between the Damascus and Herod Gates of the Old City in Jerusalem, Israel. The site has several names including "Solomon's Quarries", "Suleiman's Cave", the "Royal Caverns" and "Zedekiah's Grotto". It is an underground limestone quarry that runs under the Old City of Jerusalem. The area presently surveyed and open is five acres (20,000 m2). Over a period of several thousand years it was carved and is a remnant of the largest quarry in Jerusalem.
The site is thought to have begun as a small open cave in the limestone bedrock. Instead of cutting blocks out in the open, the original cutters carved into the cave creating a roof above. As time went on, the Old City of Jerusalem was built upon it, thus creating the unique situation of the quarry that exists today. The above-mentioned five acres continues south under the city.
Zedekiah's Caves markings for GPR grid
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In 2008 Jessie Pincus began working with Shimon Gibson, who has the IAA license to excavate the entire region, and who hopes to add an urban redevelopment element contingent, to interface with the Jerusalem Planning Committee responsible for developing the site for increased tourism, historical study, and further modern development in keeping with its nature and importance. Through Jessie Pincus's work geoarchaeological techniques were added to the roster of scientific investigations under Dr. Gibson's purview. Using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) we were able to assist in the 2008 pre-excavation work which aided the 2009 excavations and led to fascinating finds including a 7 step ritual mikveh beneath the first area surveyed with GPR. In 2009 a GPR study was done of the adjacent Zedekiah Cave area which is scheduled for follow-up excavation.
During the 2009 season, a unique ten-line inscription on the side of a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during the first century CE was uncovered. Inscriptions of this kind are extremely rare and only a handful have been found in scientific excavations made within the city.
The archaeological excavations are being carried out within the national park, Gan Sovev Homot Yerushalayim, close to the Zion Gate of the Old City. The work is directed by Dr Shimon Gibson, with the co-ordination of Evyatar Cohen and Dr Tsvika Tsuk of the Israel Parks Authority. These excavations follow earlier excavations at the site made in the 1970's by Magen Broshi, when a monumental Arabic inscription from the thirteenth century was found (it is to be exhibited in the new archaeological wing to be opened at the Israel Museum).
The new inscription from the first century CE is presently being deciphered by a team of epigraphic experts in an effort to determine the meaning of the text, which is clear but cryptic. The inscription is written in Aramaic/Hebrew and in Cryptic letters similar to inscriptions known from Qumran. Two words have been identified "Adonai shavtai." ('Lord, I have returned.').
In addition, a large arched building with a mosaic floor (preserved to a height of 3 metres) from the Byzantine period was also uncovered; perhaps it is part of a building complex or street associated with the nearby Church of St Mary (the Nea). All these discoveries make the area one of terrifically exciting potential as well as material for future papers and scholarly research.
Mount Zion Jerusalem
