In what has been described as an "exciting discovery," the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed on Thursday remains from a palace overlooking Jerusalem's Old City dating back to the First Temple Period.
"A rare, impressive, and very special collection of several dozen adorned architectural stone artifacts, which together were part of a magnificent structure, was discovered," the agency said in a statement. "These stone artifacts are made of soft limestone, with decorative carvings, and among them are capitals of various sizes in the architectural style known as 'Proto-Aeolian' – one of the most significant royal building features of the First Temple period."
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According to the IAAA, the findings carry significant meaning due to the state they were found in and due to their prominent location within the palace.
"This is a very exciting discovery. This is a first-time discovery of scaled-down models of the giant Proto-Aeolian capitals, of the kind found thus far in the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, where they were incorporated above the royal palace gates. The level of workmanship on these capitals is the best seen to date, and the degree of preservation of the items is rare," the director of the excavation Yaakov Billig said.
"This discovery, along with the palace previously uncovered in Ramat Rachel and the administrative center recently uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority on the slopes of Arnona [another neighborhood of Jerusalem], attests to a new revival in the city and a somewhat 'exit from the walls' of the First Temple period, after the Assyrian siege. We reveal villas, mansions and government buildings in the area outside the walls of the city. This testifies to the relief felt by the city's residents and the recovery of Jerusalem's developments after the Assyrian threat was over," Billig continued.
It is unclear who lived in the palace, according to the IAA, but there is speculation that it could have served royalty or prominent families.
"Who was privileged to live in the monumental structure possessing a breathtaking view of the City of David and the temple, which was uncovered in an archeological excavation? Was it one of the kings of Judah, or was it perhaps a Jerusalemite family of nobility and wealth during the First Temple period?" the agency said in a statement
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