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Richard Nowitz
The first-century historian Flavius Josephus reported that conquering Romans burned all of Jerusalem and razed its walls to the ground in 70 A.D. But, in fact, archaeologists have discovered that large sections of the Temple Mount’s enormous retaining walls still thrust up from bedrock, in some places to heights of 65 feet. (According to Ben-Dov, field director of the Temple Mount excavations, the highest walls of the Temple Mount originally rose 165 feet!)
Almost two decades of archaeological excavations by Professor Benjamin Mazar and Ben-Dov have uncovered numerous architectural features of the Temple Mount and of the structures outside the walls, filling in substantial gaps in the Jewish, Moslem and Christian history of this holy city.
To identify some of the Herodian features seen here, refer to the drawing.