27 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A Unique Structure Discovered in the City of David Ancient Jerusalem – The Only One of Its Kind

A unique structure was discovered on the eastern slope of the City of David, within the Walls of the Jerusalem National Park. This structure, unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority, has eight rock-carved chambers containing an altar, an obelisk (masseba), an oil press, and a wine press. The structure is the first of its kind in Jerusalem.

According to a recent article in the scientific journal “Atiqot,” this unusual structure, roughly 220 square meters, was used for ritual practices during the First Temple period.

The structure, excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority, dates to the 8th century BCE, dating to the First Temple period when the kings of Judah reigned.

The published article in ‘Atiqot proposes that the unique structure, comprising a series of eight rock-hewn rooms, was used for ritual purposes while the Temple still stood on the Temple Mount, just a few hundred meters away. It is the only known ritual structure from this period discovered in Jerusalem and one of the very few found in the land of Israel.

The structure, unearthed under the direction of archaeologist Eli Shukron, covers an area of approximately 220 square meters and contains eight rock-carved chambers, each with different installations: An oil press for producing oil, A winepress for making wine, a carved installation with a drainage channel, identified by researchers as an altar, and a large standing stone (masseba), next to which ritual activity was likely practiced. One room’s floor displayed mysterious V-shaped carving marks, the purpose of which remains unclear.

Mysterious carvings were discovered on the structure's floor. Credit: Kobi Harati / City of David
Mysterious carvings were discovered on the structure’s floor. Credit: Kobi Harati / City of David

 According to Eli Shukron, these carvings may have served as a base for a tripod—an installation with three legs used for ritual activities.

A cache of items from the eighth century BCE was discovered in a small cave carved on the structure’s edge. These items included cooking pots, jars with pieces of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals with decorative motifs, and grinding stones for crushing grains.

According to the authors of the article from the Center for Research on Ancient Jerusalem, who were led by archaeologist Eli Shukron, who oversaw the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the building was occupied until the middle of the time period when the Kings of Judah were in power, in the eighth century BCE.

The standing stone uncovered during the excavation: "The most significant and dramatic find revealed." Credit: Vladimir Naikhin, Israel Antiquities Authority.
The standing stone uncovered during the excavation: “The most significant and dramatic find revealed.” Credit: Vladimir Naikhin, Israel Antiquities Authority.

According to Shukron, the site fell out of use in the 8th century BCE, coinciding with the religious reforms of King Hezekiah. The Bible describes how Hezekiah centralized worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, eliminating scattered ritual sites across the kingdom.

The Bible describes how, during the First Temple period, additional ritual sites operated outside the Temple, and two kings of Judah—Hezekiah and Josiah—implemented reforms to eliminate these sites and concentrate worship at the Temple.”

“When we began excavating the City of David in 2010, we discovered that the site had been sealed with fill from the 8th century BCE, indicating it had fallen out of use during that time,” says Shukron. “The standing stone we uncovered remained upright in its original place, and the other rooms in the structure were also well-preserved.”

A scarab seal from the 8th century BCE uncovered during the excavation. Credit: Vladimir Naikhin, Israel Antiquities Authority.
A scarab seal from the 8th century BCE uncovered during the excavation. Credit: Vladimir Naikhin, Israel Antiquities Authority.

The northern portion of the structure was first discovered in 1909 by British explorer Montague Parker, who traveled to Jerusalem in pursuit of the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple treasures, even though the current excavation started in 2010. Over several excavation seasons, Shukron’s excavation proceeded.

According to Amichai Eliyahu, Israel’s Minister of Heritage: “This unique structure uncovered in the City of David is an exciting testimony to Jerusalem’s rich past. Such discoveries make our connection and historic roots – going back thousands of years – tangible, in Jerusalem and other sites where the Jewish culture and belief system emerged.”

Israel Antiquities Authority

Shukron, Eli; Freud, Liora; Roth, Helena; Avisar, Reli; and Bocher, Efrat (2024) “Evidence of Worship in the Rock-Cut Rooms on the Eastern Slope of the City of David, Jerusalem,” ‘Atiqot: Vol. 116, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1126

Cover Image Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority- Kobi Harati, City of David.

Related Articles

Unique Two-Faced Gold Ring Unearthed in Poland

10 February 2024

10 February 2024

A gold ring with an unusual two-faced design, likely to be from the 11th or 12th century, has been discovered...

Beer remains that are 9,000 years old have been discovered in China’s unique Hu pots

3 September 2021

3 September 2021

Archaeologists in southeast China have discovered evidence of beer consumption in ceramic vessels at the burial site called Qiaotou. The...

Byzantine monk chained with iron rings unearthed near Jerusalem

4 January 2023

4 January 2023

A skeleton chained with iron rings was discovered at Khirbat el-Masani, about four kilometers northwest of Jerusalem, along the ancient...

Hundreds of skeletons found on Welsh beach

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Archaeologists found the burial site of women and children just below the surface of the sand dunes on Whitesands Bay...

Rock tombs dating back 1,800 years have been discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Blaundus

1 October 2021

1 October 2021

In the ancient city of Blaundus, located in the Ulubey neighborhood of the western Anatolian city of Uşak, 400 rock-cut...

A tiny 2,300-year-old votive vessel presented to the gods by the poor was found in the Ancient City of Troy

27 August 2022

27 August 2022

A 3-centimeter in size tiny vessel made of clay was found in the ancient city of Troy located at Hisarlik...

Archaeologists Discover Assyrian-Style Leather Armor 2,700 Years Old in China

11 December 2021

11 December 2021

The new research shows that the unique leather armor found in a horse rider’s tomb in Northwest China was made...

Luxurious 2,200-year-old King Tomb Discovered in China

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a luxurious 2,200-year-old tomb in eastern China, the largest, highest-ranking, and most structurally complex ever unearthed, which...

73 intact Wari mummy bundles and Carved Masks Placed On False Heads Discovered In Peru

1 December 2023

1 December 2023

At Pachacámac, an archaeological site southeast of Lima in Peru, archaeologists unearthed bundles of 73 intact mummy bundles, some containing...

2,000-year-old Roman pewter hoard discovered in Suffolk

4 July 2023

4 July 2023

A rare hoard of Roman pewter has been discovered in Euston, western Suffolk, in eastern England. The rare discovery includes...

A long-lost branch of the Nile helped in building Egypt’s pyramids – Scientists Say

1 September 2022

1 September 2022

The Giza Pyramids are one of the world’s most iconic cultural landscapes, and they have fascinated humans for thousands of...

Salvage Excavations Started in Giresun Island on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast

18 May 2021

18 May 2021

Rescue excavations are starting again on Giresun Island, where the first examples of human settlement in the Black Sea Region...

A New Hypothesis Tries to Explain What Triggers People’s Big Brains

14 March 2021

14 March 2021

The big brain is the decisive feature of our species. Not only are they the most complex organs in the...

2500-year-old Persian ancient palace dish discovered in Oluz Höyük, Türkiye

18 October 2023

18 October 2023

A 2,500-year-old earthenware pot containing bone fragments and grains from the Persian-era palace kitchen was discovered during archaeological excavations at...

Roman road network spanning the South West of England identified in new research

7 August 2023

7 August 2023

A Roman road network spanning across Devon and Cornwall has been discovered by the University of Exeter archaeologists. A Roman...