The VCU History department held its very first Lyons Lecture in Judaic Studies on October 14, in honor of Harry Lyons, DDS, a former dean of the VCU School of Dentistry. This year’s fall lecturer was Jodi Magness, Ph.D., who presented “Herodian Jerusalem: The Archeology of the Holy City in the Time of Jesus and the Second Temple.” This lecture aimed to share the highlights of Magness’ research and archeological findings in Jerusalem, specifically during the time of Jesus’ life. 

The Herodian period is in reference to the reign of King Herod the Great in 40 BCE until his death in 4 BCE, then through Herod’s sons and successors, various Roman governors and up to the time of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66-70 BCE, which then ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple.

During Herod’s reign, he built extensively throughout his kingdom, with most of the constructions concentrated in Jerusalem. Magness states that what characterizes Jerusalem is the fact that it’s a mountain city, rather than a city connected by waterways or major trade routes. The city became important because it was considered the place where the presence of the God of Israel dwells. It has been considered this way since the time of David and Solomon, and is a belief that has been embraced by followers of the three Abrahamic faiths. 

The native Jewish dynasty that had ruled the country prior to Herod, the Hasmoneans, had their own palace located in Jerusalem. When Herod’s rule began, he decided to build his own palace in the northwest corner of what was the “walled city.” The wall, which existed before Herod, is called the “First Wall.” Today, this location is home to the Armenian Garden. Very few remains of the palace have survived. Most of what survived is the underground foundation. 

Magness stated that remains of a fortress that Herod built at the north end of his palace, which was constructed to protect it and the north side of the city, also survived. The fortress consisted of three towers, though only one still stands today, which were located in the west side of the old city. The surviving tower is located within a fortified area near Jaffa Gate called “The Citadel” or “David’s Citadel.” Each of the three towers was named by Herod after somebody, with the surviving one sometimes being called “David’s Tower,” though that was not the original name. The largest tower was named Faisal after Herod’s older brother as a memorial, the second largest was named Hippicus after a friend,  and the smallest tower was named Mariamne after his most beloved wife, who was also deceased. 

The main architectural feat that Herod had was the reconstruction of the Temple Mount and the second temple, in Jerusalem. The first temple, or Solomon’s Temple, had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, then it was rebuilt and consecrated in 516 BCE. The second temple stood in an open-paved esplanade, which is the Temple Mount. During Herod’s rule he completely rebuilt and increased the size of both. Though there are no remains, the temple stood roughly where the Dome of the Rock is today. 

When Herod expanded and rebuilt the Temple Mount, not only did he increase the size of the esplanade, but he enclosed the entire structure within a wall. In order to supply support to the esplanade, the engineers that worked with Herod built a series of underground arches or vaults at the south end of the Temple Mount, which are called Solomon’s Stables. Today, the Al-Aqsa Mosque sits on top of that platform and is still supported by those vaults.

After increasing the size of the esplanade, Herod surrounds the temple, which sits in the middle, with buildings on three sides. Herod created porches and porticos to provide shelter for pilgrims from the sun and the rain. On the south side, he built a monumental building called the Royal Stoa or the Royal  Basilica. This was a building for public assemblies, such as judicial and commercial activities. This area became a place where Jewish pilgrims who were visiting the temple and gentiles were allowed to engage together.

Magness emphasizes that when one looks at the Western Wall in modern times, what they are viewing is part of the temenos wall that Herod built around the Temple Mount, not part of the temple building. It has been previously reported that the Western Wall is venerated because it is the last surviving remnant of the Jerusalem remnant, but Magness says that is incorrect. The temple likely stood where the Dome of the Rock is today. There are also other areas around the Temple Mount where parts of the original Herodian temenos wall are preserved. 

Other semi-preserved Herodian architectural feats include gates that Herod had built that would have provided access to the Temple Mount. Today, Wilson’s Arch, Barclay’s Gate, Robinson’s Arch, and the Hulda Gates are all partially survived Herodian gates. Along the western side of the Temple Mount, near some of the gates, there is a paved street with stones on top, which come from the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.

The only physical remains that are associated with any of the temples are two Greek inscriptions from the Sore. These inscriptions are known as the “Temple Warning Inscriptions,” as they state that gentiles are prohibited from entering the area. These inscriptions now reside at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Istanbul Archeological Museum.

At the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, Herod built the Antonia Fortress, named after Mark Anthony. Though it does not survive today, the area where the fortress used to be holds important parts of history. The area of the fortress is bisected by a road called the Via Dolorosa, the route marked by Christians that is said to be the route Jesus walked to his death.