The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of the site of an epic battle between the Roman forces under Titus and the Jewish forces defending the city. It has been dated to the first century AD on the basis of pottery shards discovered there. A large section of a 1.9m wall has been excavated, which archaeologists have identified as the remains of the Third Wall, which was breached during the fall of Jerusalem. More than 70 boulders and stones that were fired at the wall from Roman catapults litter the ground at the base of the wall. The discovery is said to confirm the description of the breaching of the wall written by Josephus. In 70 AD, the Roman army, under Titus, invaded the city of Jerusalem after a five-month siege, and then destroyed the temple. Jesus himself prophesied that this would happen (Mt 24:1-2).
Off-site Links:
- http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240
- http://www.timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-find-battle-site-where-romans-breached-jerusalem-walls/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqT9lFbFT4M