For the past two years, the Israel Antiquities Authority has quietly carried out excavations beneath Wilson's Arch near the Western Wall. They recently announced that they had unearthed eight stone courses of the wall that had remained buried for 1700 years and had discovered a Roman theater. Archaeologists discovered the curved, theater-like structure while they were searching for a known Second Temple road. The discovery of the theater, which contained 200 seats, confirms historical writers such as Josephus who described a Roman theater near the Temple Mount. The size of the structure and its location, under the roof of Wilson's Arch, has led researchers to suggest it was an odeon, for music or poetry presentations, or a bouleuterion - a place where the council of the Roman colony in Jerusalem met. The excavators believe the theater was never finished, as the stairs are not fully hewn and there are rocks with the guide marks inscribed on them for future stairs. The Israel Antiquities Authority plans to continue excavating for six more months in hopes of uncovering First Temple-era artifacts that are still buried beneath.
Off-site Links:
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/massive-section-of-western-wall-and-roman-theater-uncovered-after-1700-years/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=231&v=29kVDSYA4hY