These before and after pictures illustrate what happens when a site is not preserved. The “before” pictures were taken at the time this site—ancient Jerusalem—was excavated by Kathleen Kenyon in the 1960’s. The “after” pictures were taken a few years later. Today conditions are even worse.
Before
The angled wall in the lower left of the photograph above is the Jebusite wall of Jerusalem that surrounded the city when King David captured it. The picture was taken at the time the wall was excavated. These precious stones comprise the only portion of the Jebusite wall of Jerusalem which has yet been discovered. The horizontal part of this angled wall runs into a later—8th century B.C.—city wall on the right.
After
The Jebusite wall of Jerusalem—in the lower left of the photograph—as it appeared a few years later. It is hardly more than a pile of stones. The sides are no longer straight. The top edges of the wall can no longer be seen. Many stones have been canted or washed away. Even the angle of the wall is indistinct. Debris and weeds have grown up around it. The 8th century city wall behind the Jebusite wall is also beginning to crumble.
Before
The remains of an Israelite house that was burnt and partially destroyed when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C.—the only direct evidence of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. In the lower right can be seen a monolithic pillar that probably supported the roof of a porch. The stairway led to the second floor of the house. Compare the beautiful condition of the remains—taken at the time the site was excavated—with the picture below.
After
Part of the same Israelite house in the previous photograph—but as it looked several years later. Today even less remains. The monolithic pillar has been knocked down. Only the bottom three steps of the stairway have survived. Little remains of the wall to the right of the steps. Stray stones are strewn about. The site is hardly recognizable.