City of David finds expand
Excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David have recovered fragments of ancient clothing and additional house structures, helping archaeologists reconstruct the city’s original layout from biblical times. The digs are led by David Be’eri, who was recently honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award as the site grows into Jerusalem’s top archaeological attraction. (5tjt.com)
On March 22, 2026 the Israel Antiquities Authority reported that excavations at the City of David National Park exposed a previously missing section of Jerusalem’s Iron Age city wall tied to the Babylonian destruction of 586 BCE. (cityofdavid.org.il/en/excavations-have-exposed-the-missing-section-of-the-city-wall-of-jerusalem-eng/) The current fieldwork at the eastern slope is being conducted on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority in collaboration with the City of David Foundation and is directed by Dr. Filip Vukosavović, Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf, according to the site’s excavation statement. (cityofdavid.org.il/en/excavations-have-exposed-the-missing-section-of-the-city-wall-of-jerusalem-eng/) A 2024 campaign in the adjacent Givati Parking Lot uncovered a vast fortifying moat at least nine meters deep and 30 meters wide that splits the northern City of David and appears to have separated the royal acropolis from the residential quarter. (timesofisrael.com/archaeologists-find-fortifying-moat-in-city-of-david-solving-150-year-mystery/) The site’s 2025 season produced high-profile finds listed on the City of David news feed, including a rare Hellenistic gold coin attributed to Queen Berenice II (announced August 20, 2025), a 1,300-year-old lead pendant bearing a menorah (announced December 15, 2025), and a monumental dam in the Siloam Pool dated by researchers to the reigns of Joash or Amaziah. (cityofdavid.org.il/en/new-in-antiquities/) Excavators have also reported administrative material from recent seasons — new bullae and seal impressions associated with Jerusalem’s governing quarter and other inscriptions that feed into debates over First Temple–period administration and chronology. (uasvbible.org/2025/11/23/additional-city-of-david-jerusalem-bullae-and-seals-from-the-ongoing-2025-excavation-season/) (biblicalarchaeology.org/whats-new-in-biblical-jerusalem/) Site operators have moved to expand public access and interpretation: on March 22, 2026 a first-ever public tour of the fully uncovered Pilgrims’ Road was held with the President of Israel in attendance, and long-running excavations at the Givati/Giv‘ati car-park area (about 3,500 sq. meters) are being integrated into new visitor facilities. (cityofdavid.org.il/en/new-in-antiquities/) (biblewalks.com/Givati/)
