Thick wooden beams, burned during the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C., were recently discovered in the Givati Parking Lot excavations, conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the City of David, part of the Jerusalem Walls National Park.
“The beams appear to have served as the roof of an inner courtyard in a building from the First Temple period. During the destruction, they collapsed onto the floor. We believe that the plaster cladding of the building's walls, melted by the fire, covered the charred wooden beams, and ultimately enabled their exceptional preservation,” excavation director Efrat Bocher said of the discovery.
The burnt wooden beams exposed in the City of David
(Photo: Reut Wilf, City of David)
“It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings," said Dr. Johanna Regev of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who is studying the find. "Here, in the City of David, we found thick beams with many rings, offering significant research potential – with more growth rings enabling higher dating resolution. Until now we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years. Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as ten years.”
The excavation directors, Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University, said the find attests to the intensity of Jerusalem’s destruction. The researchers also believe the decision to live alongside and within the ruins shows a strong desire to preserve memory.
"Preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed. Here we see it in its clearest form: a deliberate choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to the destruction and build the new layer over them," according to Shalev.
The remains of the destruction uncovered during excavations in the City of David
(Photo: Reut Wilf, City of David)
Israel Antiquities Authority excavations at the Givati parking lot in the City of David
(Photo: Reut Wilf, City of David)
Bocher addressed the timing of the discovery, which is being revealed days before the fast marking the destruction of the temples.
"We are just before Tisha B'Av. This discovery makes you feel that you are witnessing the very moment of destruction, the moment when it all happened. It's deeply moving," she said.
Excavation director Efrat Bocher
(Photo: Kobi Harati, City of David)
Dr. Johanna Regev from the Israel Antiquities Authority at the excavation site
(Photo: Reut Wilf, City of David)
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu commented on the new find, saying: "Jerusalem’s soil continues to provide tangible evidence of the city’s ancient past. The wooden beams burned in the destruction of the First Temple stand as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people’s presence in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago."
"On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery underscores that our connection to Jerusalem is rooted not only in faith, but also in history, archaeology, and collective memory. It is our responsibility to continue uncovering, preserving, and passing this heritage on to future generations,” he added.