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ANCIENT JERUSALEM' S ornamental orchitecture reconstructed from frogments of on interno! orchwoy of the Royal Stoo built by
Herod the Greot. Frogments were uncovered olong the Southern Woll of the Temple Mount.
Text ond Photos by Christopher Potton
Archaeological excavations
south and wes t of the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem have gen–
erated interest worldwide. This
article, written from an archae–
ologist's point ofview, explains
in simple terms what is being
done there and describes sorne
of the dramatic finds.
PlAI N TRUTH September
1973
T
THE PUBLIC
eye, archaeology
is often glamorízed as a
searcb for bidden treasure or
as man's quest for forgotten splen–
dors.
The recent exhibition , from
Egypt , of K ing T utankhamen's
tomb furnishings in the British Mu–
seum vividly points this up. Miles of
awestruck people moved by the ex–
hibit, gazing at a tiny reflection of
the golden glory unearthed from
ages past.
But more importan! than exhibiLS
is the reconstruction of cities or
whole societies of the past. Indeed,
this is the real "gold" for wbich ar–
chaeologists give theír energy and
lives in research and excavatíon.
What is this "gold" worth? What
can we learn from uncovering the
past - especially Jerusalem's past?
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