On April 2, renewed excavation began in Jerusalem’s biblical royal quarter in preparation for reconstruction work to highlight the ancient city’s famed past. The three-to- four-week excavation is the first return to the area, known as the Ophel, since the excavations led by the late Dr. Eilat Mazar in 2009–2010. This current excavation is led by Hebrew University’s Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, staffed by the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology (aiba) and funded by aiba alongside Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman.
On today’s program, host Christopher Eames interviews aiba staff member Brent Nagtegaal who was on the 2009 excavation and is helping coordinate the excavation this year.
The goal of the excavation is to systematically excavate later remains in the area that obscure a monumental First Temple Period building that Dr. Eilat Mazar identified as the “Water Gate” mentioned in Nehemiah 3, yet is still debated by other scholars. Following the excavation, large-scale reconstruction and development work will take place in order to open the area to tourists. This work will be led by the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by aiba, Daniel Mintz, Merdith Berkman and others.
