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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period
  • The Wall identified as Solomon's Wall, in the Ofel. Courtesy of the City of David Archives.
    The Wall identified as Solomon's Wall, in the Ofel. Courtesy of the City of David Archives.
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  • Reconstruction of the “water gate” according to Dr. Eilat Mazar. Illustration: Balage Balogh
    Reconstruction of the “water gate” according to Dr. Eilat Mazar. Illustration: Balage Balogh
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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period

The Time of King Solomon

And this is the account of the levy which king Solomon raised; to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer . 1 KINGS 9:15 The Bible relates that one of Solomon’s many construction projects in Jerusalem was the fortification of the city. Apparently, the reference is to a wall surrounding the area of the Ophel (the “ascent” – an area between the city and the Temple) and the Temple Mount, after Solomon built the Temple and the complex of palaces adjacent to it. In Dr. Eilat Mazar’s excavations south of the Temple Mount in 2009, an impressive portion of a wall was found, which she attributes to the time of Solomon. A large gatehouse was also discovered, which may have been the “water gate.” The gate was discovered earlier by Prof. Benjamin Mazar. Alongside it was a royal storehouse in which a jar was found inscribed with the words: “to the minister of the O…” The letter in Hebrew transliterated as “O” might be the beginning of the Hebrew word ofim (bakers) or otzar (treasure), etc. In the first picture: Photo of the wall identified as Solomon’s wall on the Ophel. In the second picture: Reconstruction of the “water gate” according to Dr. Eilat Mazar (illustration: Balage Balogh)