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NEWS
Archaeological Find
By Yisrael Rosner
An archaeological excavation in the City of David in Silwan revealed a small structure which may possibly have served as a speakers' podium in the times of the Second Beis Hamikdash. The dig, carried on by the Antiquities Authority and funded by the Elad Foundation, is taking place inside a large tunnel under the Herodian street ascending from the Shiloach pool towards Har Habayis.
In the course of the digging, a small pyramidal structure was exposed, with steps on all four directions. It is situated on the side of the street, and according to the archaeologists, it served the pilgrims to Har Habayis. Part of this structure was exposed for the first time about a century ago by the British archaeologists Fredrick Jones Bliss and Archibald Campbell Dicky who dug around Jerusalem. They were mistaken, however, in presuming that this was a stairway leading to the Temple which was destroyed. Only after digging around it on all sides was it conjectured that it served as a speakers' platform.
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