AN ANCIENT walkway built by a Biblical villain blamed for ordering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been uncovered in Jerusalem. The lost 2,000-year-old street was created under the rule of Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and may have been used by Jewish worshippers on a pilgrimage. Archaeologists have been excavating a hidden road beneath a […]
AN ANCIENT walkway built by a Biblical villain blamed for ordering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ has been uncovered in Jerusalem.
The lost 2,000-year-old street was created under the rule of Roman governor Pontius Pilate, and may have been used by Jewish worshippers on a pilgrimage.
Archaeologists have been excavating a hidden road beneath a Palestinian neighbourhood of 20,000 people for the past six years.
And they’ve unearthed a new section of street that stretches 220 metres from the Pool of Siloam in the south right through to Temple Mount.
This walkway was “most likely” used by pilgrims making their way to worship at the Temple Mount.
Temple Mount is a holy site venerated by Christians, Jews and Muslims, so the road would have had huge cultural importance.
An excavation revealed more than 100 coins trapped beneath the paving stones.
These coins were dated to as late as 17 to 31 CE, suggesting that the work was begun and completed under Pilate’s rule.
“Dating using coins is very exact,” said Dr Donald T. Ariel, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“As some coins have the year in which they were minted on them, what that means is that if a coin with the date 30CE on it is found beneath the street, the street had to be built in the same year, or after that coin had been minted. So any time after 30CE.
“However our study goes further, because statistically, coins minted some 10 years later are the most common coins in Jersualem.
“So not having them beneath the street means the street was built before their appearance.
“In other words, only in the time of Pilate.”
Here's what you need to know...
The entire street would’ve been around 600 metres long and eight metres wide.
It was paved with large stone slabs, which was a hallmark of Roman road design through the Roman Empire.
Estimates suggest that around 10,000 tons of quarried limestone rock was used in its construction.
This “opulent and grand” design and the fact that it connects two of Jerusalem’s most important sites is strong evidence that it was a holy road.
“If this was a simple walkway connecting point A to point B, there would be no need to build such a grand street,” said Dr Joe Uziel, who co-authored the study.
“At its minimum it is 8 metres wide.
“This, coupled with its finely carved stone and ornate ‘furnishings like a stepped podium along the street, all indicate that this was a special street.”
Study author Nahshon Szanton added: “Part of it may have been to appease the residents of Jerusalem,” said .
“Part of it may have been about the way Jerusalem would fit in the Roman world.
“And part of it may have been to aggrandise his name through major building projects.”
In other news, archaeologists recently claimed to have found the lost Biblical town where Jesus was “resurrected”.
The lost Biblical city of Ziklag home to ‘Goliath-killing’ King David 3,200 years ago may have been discovered in Israel.
And Tutankhamun’s ‘cursed’ mummy and golden sarcophagus will soon go on display inside a ‘rebuilt tomb’.
Which period of ancient history would you most like to have visited? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk
