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Ancient Greek Citadel Uncovered in Jerusalem

jerusalem-citadelThe Israeli antiquities authority claims to have solved one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of the area, after unearthing the ancient Greek citadel of Acra. The archaeological excavations in a Jerusalem car park uncovered the ancient Greek monument, a fortress constructed more than 2,000 years ago by the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-164 B.C.).

The Acra’s existence is recorded in historical documents, but archaeologists and historians have debated its location, noted Live Science. In “Antiquities of the Jews” Flavius Josephus wrote: “… and when he had overthrown the city walls, he built a citadel in the lower part of the city, for the place was high and overlooked the temple, on which account he fortified it with high walls and towers, and put into it a garrison of Macedonians.”

“Researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority believe they have found the remains of the stronghold… in the Givati parking lot excavations at the City of David,” the authority said. “The Givati excavation continues to uncover numerous artifacts from more than 10 different ancient cultures in Jerusalem’s history,” the authority said.

The archaeologists were able to uncover part of the citadel walls and the base of a large tower. “This sensational discovery allows us for the first time to reconstruct the layout of the settlement in the city” they noted.

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