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Archaeologists uncover battle site where Romans breached Jerusalem's walls

A segment of the wall was found on a street in Jerusalem now known as the Third Wall street. | Wikimedia Commons/Djampa

Israeli archaeologists have discovered the site where the Romans breached walls to capture Jerusalem and destroy the Second Temple almost 2,000 years ago.

The site was uncovered during an excavation for the construction of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design's new campus outside the Old City. Archaeologists found remnants of a tower as well as numerous stones and boulders that were fired from Roman catapults against Jewish soldiers, Times of Israel reported.

"This is a fascinating testimony of the intensive bombardment by the Roman army, led by Titus, on their way to conquering the city and destroying the Second Temple," the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement on Thursday.

"The bombardment was intended to attack the sentries guarding the wall and provide cover for the Roman forces so they could approach the wall with battering rams and thereby breach the city's defenses," it continued.

Part of the breached wall is known as the Third Wall. Scholars have been debating about it since the 20th century. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, the wall was built to protect a new quarter of Jerusalem outside of the other two walls.

The Third Wall was constructed in 40 A.D. by King Agrippa I to prepare for the Great Revolt against Rome, which began in 66 A.D. Josephus wrote that Agrippa froze the construction to avoid suspicions that the Jews were planning a rebellion.

The revolt ended in 70 A.D. when the Romans besieged Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple. The siege resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews and their exile from Israel.

Apart from the large boulders, the archaeologists also found spears and pottery from the Second Temple Period. According to Haaretz, the site became a source of stones for construction beginning in the 19th century. People made use of the stones that were originally part the Third Wall for the expansion of Jerusalem.