The builders of the Yeshiva of the Kotel, in 1985, didn’t deliberately build it on top of the ruins of this neighborhood of luxury houses dating from the time of Herod the Great in 40 years before the Christian Era.
In fact they only built this new building because the Jordanians had destroyed the previous building, built in the 19th century, during their rule of Jerusalem after the war of independence in 1948 until 1967 when the Jews had conquered the Old City of Jerusalem, and began re-inhabiting it.
The builders, while digging foundations for the new Yeshiva uncovered this beautiful neighborhood, with 6 roomed, 3 level palatial residences.
The neighborhood, which was so new in the days of Herod the Great had laid buried in ruins after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem during the great rebellion of the year 70, until this accidental discovery.
These houses are obviously part of a luxury neighborhood, described by Josephus Flavius, in his book, the Antiquities of the Jews, written nearly 2000 years ago, as a new suburb built by Herod the Great for the priestly families, appointed by Rome.
These included the high priest Caiphas, mentioned in Christian scriptures, appointed by Valerius Gratus, the procurator who preceded Pontius Pilate.
The houses were equipped with water cisterns to ensure a reliable supply of water. The floors were decorated with beautiful mosaics, with geometric designs, not infringing on the law forbidding graven images of people, plants or animals, which one could see in Roman houses of the period in Rome, but not in Jewish homes.
The walls were covered with plaster painted over with frescos. The furniture, glass, and pottery bowls lay strewn on the floor.
Some of the utensils on exhibition were carved out of limestone, a sign that they were meant to be used by the priests, because they did not contaminate in the event of a person dying in one of the rooms. In such an event all pottery would be destroyed, being considered unclean. This was because entrance to the temple was permitted only to priests who were ritually pure. Death caused defilement and any utensil, excepting a stone utensil would become contagious.
Several fine, glass jars, made by the famous Roman glassmaker, Enion of Sidon were found; his insignia appears on the side of the jar.
The houses had many ritual baths, also indicating that the inhabitants of these houses were priests, who used the baths daily for ritual cleansing.
After visiting Jerusalem, seeing these archaeological remains, Herod’s Palace under David’s Tower, remains of the outer Western Wall of the courtyard of the temple and now the 6 Herodian Houses. and reading Josephus’ descriptions we can be quite sure that Jerusalem was no mean, rustic village, but one of the most beautiful cities on earth, the likes of which have vanished never to be seen again.
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