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Eilat Mazar

Fit for a king. This photo of Eilat Mazar’s excavation area, taken to the west, shows a massive wall.

Mazar has dubbed the large public building she is excavating the Large-Stone Structure. She suggests it may well have been built by King David as his palace. The name recalls the Stepped-Stone Structure, a massive retaining wall slightly south and east of the Large-Stone Structure, which is believed to have supported Jerusalem’s ancient fortress and which Mazar now suggests was part of the palace complex. Mazar believes David’s palace was purposefully built close to the northern wall of the fortress so that its residents could swiftly find refuge in the fortress in case of impending attack.