JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—Haaretz reports that Joseph Patrich of Hebrew University and Shlomit Wexler-Bedolah of the Israel Antiquities Authority believe that two rooms found near the Western Wall Plaza five years ago served as Jerusalem’s city council triclinium in the first century B.C. The rooms, connected by a water feature with a decorative fountain, are thought to have been part of a large, opulent building. Indentations on the walls may have been left by sofa seating, where guests could have rested and dined. The structure is thought to have been destroyed in an earthquake around A.D. 30. It was previously believed that the rooms served as a public fountain. To read more about archaeology in Israel, go to "Artifact: Roman Coins in Israel."
Scholars Say Ancient Structure May Have Been a Dining Hall
News September 26, 2016
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2024
Secrets of a Silver Hoard
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2023
Sunken Cargo
Digs & Discoveries July/August 2023
Big Game Hunting
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2023
Silk Road Detour
-
Features July/August 2016
Franklin’s Last Voyage
After 170 years and countless searches, archaeologists have discovered a famed wreck in the frigid Arctic
(Courtesy Parks Canada, Photo: Marc-André Bernier) -
Letter from England July/August 2016
Stronghold of the Kings in the North
Excavations at one of Britain’s most majestic castles help tell the story of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom
(Colin Carter Photography/Getty Images) -
Artifacts July/August 2016
Spanish Horseshoe
(Courtesy Peter Eeckhout) -
Digs & Discoveries July/August 2016
Is it Esmeralda?
(Courtesy David Mearns)