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UNC CHARLOTTE MOUNT ZION EXPEDITION / SHIMON GIBSON

DIGGING OUTSIDE THE WALL. The inscribed mug was found in 2009 during excavations in the area of Mt. Zion, located just outside of the Old City walls on the eastern edge of Jerusalem’s western hill, a mere 150 yards east of Zion Gate. During the Herodian period (first century BCE–first century CE), this area of Jerusalem expanded significantly, with many wealthy families building substantial estates in the vicinity. Visible beyond the site’s excavation trenches and the southern wall of the Old City are familiar Jerusalem landmarks, including the two gray domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (top left), the Dome of the Rock (top right), and the impressive domed Hurva Synagogue (top center).