Contrary to earlier periods, this era was rich in written documents that tell us of events in the surrounding region. Some scholars sought to identify the stories of the patriarchs, in which Jerusalem is called Shalem; it is therefore also known as the “age of the Patriarchs.”

During the Middle Bronze Age Egypt became more involved in events in Canaan, and tribes from present-day Syria also penetrated the land. Cities once again began to be built here, such as Dan, Megiddo and Shechem, after a gap of hundreds of years. In various areas there were dominant “city states” whose kings ruled both the city and the surrounding area.

Egypt increased its involvement in Canaan during this period, and in the fifteenth century BCE Pharaoh Tutmoses III went to war in Canaan. Almost no new fortifications were built in Canaan at this time, and the country actively participated in intensive commerce all around the eastern Mediterranean basin. The settlement of the Israelite tribes in various parts of the country was once dated to the end of this period, hence it was dubbed “period of the settlement,” which relates to its latter part. In the mid-fourteenth century BCE Jerusalem is mentioned for the second time in its history, once again in Egypt, in texts that are not biblical. Jerusalem was involved in internal struggles among the rulers of other urban centers, who formed a coalition against it.

Archaeological finds from this period in and around the City of David are very meager. Nevertheless, finds were discovered that are dated to the end of this period, for example tombs found on the Mount of Olives and discoveries in the Nahalat Ahim neighborhood near the Mahane Yehuda Market and elsewhere. According to Prof. Gabriel Barkay, an Egyptian temple even stood north of the present-day Damascus Gate.

With the outbreak of the Great Revolt against the Romans in 66 CE, a huge Roman army reached the country (at its height, it numbered some 60,000 warriors), bent on cruelly crushing the revolt. In the following years the entire country was conquered by the Romans and in the Hebrew month of Nissan, 70 CE, the siege of Jerusalem began.
In the month of Av, the Romans under the command of Titus set fire to the Temple and a month later they destroyed Jerusalem’s upper city, which faced the Temple Mount. Thus the Second Temple period, which had lasted for almost 600 years, came to an end.

After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Romans ruled the city, and the Tenth Legion was apparently stationed near the present-day Jaffa Gate. Only during the time of Hadrian (the early second century CE) did the Romans begin to build Jerusalem as a pagan city, called Aelia Capitolina, with a network of streets and pagan temples.
The ruined City of David was quarried by the Romans for building stones for the Roman city. In 132 CE, the Bar Kokhba Revolt broke out, perhaps in response to the transformation of Jerusalem into a pagan city, and was brutally suppressed by the Romans. Officially, Jews were banned from residing in the city, but there is evidence that Jews lived there as well as visited.

The Roman Empire gradually converted to Christianity over the course of the fourth century, with its capital at Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Churches and streets built during this time changed the character of Jerusalem, which became a Christian city.

A small Jewish community lived in the city for at least part of this time, and Jews were permitted, on payment of a fee, to ascend to the Temple Mount on the ninth of Av and mourn its destruction. Despite the sanctity of the city to the Byzantines, at no time did it become either an imperial capital or a provincial capital.

In 1099 the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and massacred both its Jewish and its Muslim inhabitants. The Crusaders ruled the city until 1187, when their kingdom was taken by the Muslim leader Saladin al-Ayyubi. In 1192 the Crusaders founded a second kingdom, smaller in size, which was destroyed by the Mamluk Muslims in 1291.
Jerusalem was the capital of the first Crusader kingdom, but during the second Crusader kingdom they ruled only part of the city for only 15 years, and moved their capital to Acre. In Jerusalem they built markets, churches and hospitals within city limits that were about the same size as the Old City of today.
Throughout most of this period Jews were not allowed to live in the city, but toward the end a small number were given permission to live near the Tower of David, near the king’s palace.