The Excavations beneath Wilson’s Arch: New Light on Roman Period Jerusalem

Abstract

Since it was discovered in the 19th century, Wilson’s Arch has been at the heart of discussions about Jerusalem’s urban development. We excavated beneath the arch for three consecutive years and exposed eight strata ranging from the Hasmonean period to Ottoman times. Here we present our results and discuss our finds with particular emphasis on two issues: the date of the arch’s construction and the discovery of a small 2nd century CE theatre-like structure.