The Broad Wall () is an ancient defensive wall, located in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The wall was unearthed in the 1970s by Israeli archaeologist Nahman Avigad. Originally dated to the reign of King Hezekiah (reigned 716/15–687/86 BC), it has been attributed in 2024, based on carbon-dating, to the reign of King Uzziah (reigned 791–750 BC).New carbon-dating techniques enable 'absolute chronology' of First Temple-era Jerusalem, Gavriel Fiske for The Times of Israel, 30 April 2024. Accessed 6 July 2024. Size The Broad Wall is a massive defensive structure, thick. The unbroken length of wall uncovered by Avigad's dig runs long and is preserved in places to a height of .Jerusalem: an archaeological biography, Hershel Shanks, Random House, 1995, p. 80.Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem: The finds from areas A, W and X-2 : final report. Volume 2 of Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem: Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969–1982, Nahman Avigad, Hillel Geva, Israel Exploration Society, 2000. Indications of being part of Uzziah's rebuild of Jerusalem after an earthquake
It was long believed that the city in this period was confined to the fortified, narrow hill running to the south of the Temple Mount known as the City of David. Avigad's dig demonstrated that by the late eighth century BC the city had expanded to include the hill to the west of the Temple Mount. As long as the wall was attributed to Hezekiah, the motivation for building it was believed to have been Sennacherib's campaign in Judah, and the presumption was that it might be referred to in Book of Nehemiah () and the Book of Isaiah (). Uzziah's motivation, however, was to rebuild the city after the damage brought about by a strong earthquake.
See also Archaeology of Israel Architecture of ancient Israel Israelite Tower Walls of Jerusalem
References
External links
The Broad Wall: photos, illustrations and archaeological information