Temple “Trash”–A Treasure Trove

June 12, 2007

To many, this very earth has something intrinsically holy about it—coming as it does from the Temple Mount itself. The saga behind how the most archaeologically important debris in the world ended up in a heap in a valley outside the Old City began in the mid-1990s, but first it is helpful to understand how the Temple Mount complex developed. The bedrock hidden beneath the present-day plaza is Mount Moriah, upon which Abraham demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. This was the site where King Solomon built the Temple (1006–586 BC). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed the Temple, which was not rebuilt until the Jewish people returned 70 years later. The Second Temple was dedicated c. 515 BC. This structure was much extended under Herod the Great.

Starting in 19 BC, Herod was responsible for leveling larger portions of Mount Moriah with the flat plaza that remains to this day. Of course, the mount itself was not flat, and this enormous superstructure had to be bolstered underneath with rubble. In the deepest areas, such rubble would put too much strain on the retaining walls, and so a series of vaulted arches built one on top of another was engineered to uphold the platform above. In Crusader times, some of these subterranean arched structures were used as cisterns or stables, hence the name “Solomon’s Stables,”often assigned to this underground area in the southeastern corner of the mount.

It was in this area that serious controversy began. Ever since Israel delegated control of the Temple Mount to the Waqf (Muslim clerical authority) in 1967, there was a tacit understanding that neither side would attempt to alter the ancient structures in any way. This situation changed following the opening of a northern gate into the Western Wall (Hasmonean) Tunnel in 1996 by a decision of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Waqf then made the unilateral decision to construct a new mosque within the subterranean area of Solomon’s Stables and the Eastern Hulda Gate. This huge structure covers an area of 1.5 acres and, with a capacity for 10,000 people, is the largest mosque in Israel. Moreover, in 1999, the further measure of opening an 18,000-square-foot entrance to the mosque—supposedly as an “emergency exit”—was undertaken in a clandestine, round-the-clock, three-day operation. For the first time ever, tractors, trucks, and bulldozers were deployed on the Temple Mount as thousands of tons of precious archaeological material were removed before any opposition could be brought to bear.

The scree was dumped illegally on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley, where it languished until late 2004 when Professor Gabriel Barkai (of Bar Ilan University) finally obtained a permit to sift the remains, albeit with almost no funds. Nevertheless, with the help of donors and many volunteers, this large-scale project began, and many important finds discovered since its inception have vindicated the value of the work. Finds from all epochs have come to light, from the First Temple period through Crusader times and into the successive Islamic eras. Unfortunately, when the material was dumped, modern trash was deliberately strewn into it in order to further obscure the evidence. Despite these subversive measures, important bullas and ostracons together with a plethora of coins, glass, bone, masonry, and potsherds have been unearthed. On our part, we found seven coins! This is truly an essential work—and an amateur archaeologist’s dream. If you would like to volunteer, call 1-800-25-24-23 for further information.

Photo Credit: Dirt is sifted from the Temple Mount debris

Photo Credit: The archaeologist shows us which era our finds belong to