Nehemiah's Wall Found

A team of archaeologists discovered the wall in Jerusalem's ancient City of David during a rescue attempt on a tower that was in danger of collapse, said Eilat Mazar, head of the Institute of Archaeology at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research and educational institute, and leader of the dig.

Artifacts including pottery shards and arrowheads found under the tower suggested that both the tower and the nearby wall are from the 5th century B.C., the time of Nehemiah, Mazar said this week. Scholars previously thought the wall dated to the Hasmonean period from about 142 B.C. to 37 B.C.

Israel Finkelstein, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, called the discovery "an interesting find," but said the pottery and other artifacts do not indicate that the wall was built in the time of Nehemiah. Because the debris was not connected to a floor or other structural part of the wall, the wall could have been built later, Finkelstein said.

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This is a fascinating discovery. The Book of Nehemiah is one of my OT favorites. The man persevered against incredible odds to rebuild not just the wall around Jerusalem, but the temple within. Then, as now, there were many with a vested interest in seeing the effort fail.

Thats an exciting find, always wanted to go to Jerusalem. The buildings you see on the surface are only a fraction of whats to be seen. A city built upon a city build upon a city. Sad to see that the city of peace has been bloody since its first stone.