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JULIA GODDARD / ARMSTRONG INSTITUTE OF BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

EXCAVATING THE OPHEL. The current excavations center on four areas (D, D1, E, and F) outside the eastern part of the southern wall of the ancient Temple Mount. Among the Second Temple period features uncovered by archaeologists are a large, four-sided stepped pool, a monumental public building, cisterns, staircases, and a subterranean water system. Centuries after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, much of the area was cleared and rebuilt as a densely packed neighborhood, which included the remains of several substantial buildings and religious complexes previously excavated by archaeologists Benjamin Mazar and Eilat Mazar.