Days before Tisha B'Av: Charred wooden beams from First Temple’s destruction unearthed in Jerusalem

Archaeologists have unearthed massive wooden beams charred by the fire that destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, dating back 2,600 years. The discovery was made at the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David, announced the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

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The beams appear to have served as the roof of an inner courtyard in a building from the First Temple period.

The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The burnt beams were found inside a building that collapsed during the fire. IAA Excavation Director Efrat Bocher noted that the beams likely formed the roof of an inner courtyard. Melted plaster from the building's walls preserved the wood for millennia.

Dr. Johanna Regev of the IAA highlighted the rarity of finding such thick beams with numerous growth rings in Israel. This allows for much greater dating precision, narrowing down the timeline of events to within a decade. "Until now we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years. Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as ten years," Regev stated.

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It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings. Here, in the City of David, we found thick beams with many rings, offering significant research potential, with more growth rings enabling higher dating resolution.

Excavation directors suggest that Jerusalem's returning residents may have deliberately preserved these ruins as a "landscape of memory." Dr. Yiftah Shalev explained this as a human need to remember what once existed, with the ruins serving as a testament to the destruction before new construction began.

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Until now we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years. Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as ten years.

With Tisha B'Av approaching, Bocher described the discovery as deeply moving, allowing one to "witness the very moment of destruction." Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu emphasized that the beams are a powerful reminder of the Jewish people's 2,600-year presence in Jerusalem, underscoring a connection rooted in history and collective memory, not just faith.

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The concept of a landscape of memory is familiar from many cultures around the world. Preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed. Here we see it in its clearest form: a deliberate choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to the destruction and build the new layer over them.