Herod’s Quarry Unearthed in Jerusalem

Photo: Courtesy of the Israel Antiquity Authority










News Release from the Israel Antiquity Authority:

On Monday the Israel Antiquity Authority said that they believed archeologists may have unearthed a stone quarry used by King Herod—known throughout most of the western world as the Roman king of the Holy Land during Christ’s birth—to build a number of famous structures, including the Jewish Temple and the Western Wall.

The quarry appears to be just one portion of a large system of quarries located inside the ancient city.

Archeologists have indicated that the size of the stones extracted have offered clues as to what kind of construction they were used for. Some of the largest stones chiseled out of the 1,000-square-foot quarry have dimensions of roughly 9 foot by 6 foot by 6 foot—almost identical to the measurements of the massive blocks used to construct the Temple and the Western Wall.

Read the news release in its entirety here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: King Herod, Quarry, Temple