Ophel Excavation 2025 (Upper Area)

Welcome to the second 2025 Ophel excavation—a joint project of the Institute of Archaeology of Hebrew University and the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology.

This season we will once again be blogging our experience. This page will provide up-to-date information, photos and videos of the 2025 Ophel excavation. Check back often as we follow what we hope to be one of our most exciting excavations to date! The most recent post will be at the top.

Much like the previous phases (2022, 2023 and 2024), the 2025 season will focus primarily on revealing Second Temple Period structures and material. This year, there are three areas of concentration—Area D, Area D1 and a brand new area, Area P. We plan to continue removing Byzantine domestic structures, shedding more light on an impressive monumental building from the Early Roman Period that functioned during the days of the Second Temple. Several impressive ritual baths (mikvaot) have already been discovered in relation to this building, as well as a complex drainage system and an even earlier ritual purification structure, in use prior to the construction of the main Early Roman Period building. Our excavation will continue to reveal these features, as well as several phases of later Byzantine occupation that will be excavated along the way.

End-of-Season Slideshow

Before and After

July 31: The Final Day

July 31 | Ilan smiles while washing pottery.

July 31 | Orit does the daily pottery reading by herself with everyone else occupied cleaning the site.

July 31 | Area D1 workers prepare the site for end-of-season photos.

July 31 | Without the shades, Area P can be seen as workers clean the site thoroughly in preparation for end-of-season photos.

July 31 | Vienna fills the crane bucket.

July 30: The Cave Excavation

July 30 | A teeny-tiny lizard walks across the railing in Area D.

July 30 | Area D workers hustle to excavate the mikveh leading into Area D.

July 30 | Volunteers surround Avital as they dry-sift.

July 30 | Eva explains a find to Ivo in Portuguese.

July 30 | Rachel and Ori examine pottery found in the cave.

July 30 | Avital Mazar-Tsairi dry-sifts buckets removed from the cave.

July 29: All Smiles

July 29 | Akiva shows off a stone vessel found in Area P.

July 29 | Laurie passes to Chioma in a sharsheret in Area D1.

July 29 | Ita and Nigina dry-sift buckets of dirt pulled from the mikveh in Area D.

July 29 | The volunteer group from Brazil (and some other South American countries) enjoy breakfast.

July 29 | Excavation volunteers go through the food line for the breakfast break at 8:45.

July 29 | Adam dumps dirt from Area D for the tractor to haul away.

July 29 | Adam works to dump a large stone from the crane bucket.

July 29 | Grayson wrestles with wire to hang a caution sign along the edge of Area D1.

July 29 | Shayla smiles after dumping dirt into the bucket.

July 29 | Akiva smiles for the camera; in the background “the ghost of Area P past” appears.

July 29 | Samuel checks a rock for any signs of workmanship.

July 29 | Ita works to balance a bag in the mound of balot.

July 29 | Chris looks up at Uzi (not pictured) as they discuss the area he’s excavating.

July 29 | Area D1 supervisor Chris digs happily.

July 29 | Wayne Turgeon looks over while cleaning his locus.

July 29 | Ricardo pauses to smile for the camera as he excavates in Area D1.

July 29 | Christina excavates in Area D1.

July 29 | Jude places pins in a large stone after drilling holes. He then hammers the pins deep into the rock, splitting it.

July 28: Continuing to Move Earth

July 28 | Jeremy, Britney and Nick excavate while Izaak moves in.

July 28 | Nick and Jeremy remove a capital to place with other large finds from Area D.

July 28 | Chris gets down on hands and knees to safely excavate a cistern.

July 28 | Chris watches as Ricardo and Evangelina discover the location of an opening to a cistern.

July 28 | Wayne and Laura Turgeon excavate in Area D1.

July 28 | Evangelina examines a small find.

July 28 | Chris begins excavating above the monumental mikveh in Area D1.

July 28 | Adam cleans up the area between the Herodian wall and Byzantine rooms.

July 28 | Ava looks up from excavating her small triangle.

July 28 | Brent and Brett stir up dust while cleaning the mikveh leading into Area D.

July 28 | Adolfo, Joao and Ricardo excavate an locus in Area D.

July 28 | Orit fills in as assistant for Amir in Area D on Monday morning.

July 27: The Final Week

July 27 | Jude hard at work busting stones

July 27 | Zheiwei works in the area next to the large Herodian wall in Area D.

July 27 | Wayne Turgeon smiles for the camera.

July 27 | Workers spread out across Area D

July 27 | Chris smiles up from the bottom of his monumental mikveh.

July 27 | Ivo (from Brazil) and Zheiwei (from China) dig in Area D.

July 27 | Jude, Brett, Izaak and Jeremy haul out a large stone.

A Tour With the Area Supervisors

July 24: End of Week Four

July 24 | Luke pounds a pole into place to support a ladder.

July 24 | Bea sweeps mosaic tile between Area D and Area D1.

July 24 | Amir holds up a find as Eva looks on.

July 24 | Jude attacks a boulder with the sledgehammer.

July 24 | Nick is covered in dirt from working the crane bucket all day.

July 24 | Amir shows Eva and Tamar what he wants them to do in their area.

July 24 | Spencer and Chris remove old wood from the excavation site.

July 24 | Uzi talks to Caleb who secures Aviv’s safety rope as he cleans the large reservoir in Area D.

July 24 | Aviv cleans out the reservoir of the large cistern in Area D.

July 24 | Bea removes rocks from Area D1.

July 24 | Samuel hauls a rock from his section to the balot (large bags) for removal.

July 24 | Area D forms a long sharsheret from outside the southern wall to the crane.

July 24 | Dig architect Marcus draws the excavation’s findings in Area P.

July 24 | Area P assistant supervisor Amihai removes the hard plaster between layers on the south side of the large mikveh.

July 23: Site-wide Tasks

July 23 | Eva points out something to assistant area supervisor Shoham in Area D.

July 23 | Vienna smiles while cleaning up dust near the vault in Area D.

July 23 | Brenna cleans along the wall in Area D.

July 23 | Ava excavates the southern Byzantine wall in Area D.

July 23 | Wayne Turgeon excavates alongside a modern wall in Area D1.

July 23 | Bea excavates a tight space in Area D1.

July 23 | Chioma digs along a wall in Area D1.

July 23 | Grayson takes a sledgehammer to a large rock in Area D1.

July 23 | Aluma passes juice to Nigina during her daily round delivering refreshments.

July 23 | Melissa shows off a nice piece of pottery she cleaned.

July 23 | Eli wet-sifts at the pottery-washing station.

July 23 | Yael wet-sifts dry-sifted materials from Area D1.

July 23 | Gali writes locus and basket numbers on pottery sherds.

July 23 | Aluma prepares trays of food to feed 50 excavators breakfast.

July 23 | Aluma and Bea prepare french toast for “hafsekah” (break).

July 23 | Nadav works on a laptop in the office.

July 23 | Amir explains to Nigina the area she should excavate.

July 23 | Yohai and Judah take down a Byzantine wall in Area D.

July 23 | Area D1 workers excavate a room.

July 23 | Laurie shows off a painted piece of pottery she found while dry-sifting.

July 23 | Assistant area supervisor Nadav documents baskets in Area D1.

July 23 | Natan sends plaster flying in Area P.

July 23 | Brandi chips away at a hard ground covering in Area P.

July 23 | Ita excavates a wall in Area D.

July 23 | Ita begins removing a Byzantine wall.

July 23 | Ming and Yong work in their hole in Area D.

July 22: Animal Figurine

July 22 | Shoham shows a dog(?) figurine discovered in the eastern wall of Area D.

July 22 | Samuel uses the sledgehammer to take down a wall in Area D1.

July 22 | Yeshiva University student Jacob excavates a locus in Area D1.

July 22 | Eli stirs up a lot of dust while cleaning a locus in Area P.

July 22 | Amihai uses a measuring tape to take notes in the field.

July 22 | Yaira and Shayla excavate in Area P.

July 22 | Tal excavates the eastern wall in Area D.

July 22 | Vienna, Amir and Jeremy work to raise the shade, allowing airflow to the area.

July 22 | Ming and Yong work in a locus in Area D.

July 21: Another Busy Monday

July 21 | Eva and Jude dislodge a massive stone from the southern wall of Area D as Aviv watches.

July 21 | Eva happily excavates the southern wall in Area D.

July 21 | Vienna digs atop the southern wall in Area D.

July 21 | Ilan helps prepare a locus in Area P for a photo.

July 21 | Shayla uses the soft brush in Area P.

July 21 | Grayson and Christina clear the mikveh in Area D1.

July 21 | Area P supervisor Akiva considers his area.

July 21 | Mr. Turgeon enjoys watermelon during the noon fruit break.

July 21 | Brenna and Izaak reveal a wall in Area D.

July 21 | Brett takes a swing with the sledgehammer in Area D.

July 21 | Adam strikes a boulder as Brett and Jude look on.

July 21 | Dig administrator Aluma passes a cup of juice to Ming during her daily refreshment trip around the excavation site.

Show and Tell: Grindstone and Spindle Whorl

July 20: Southern Wall—Coming Down

July 20 | Adam hauls buckets to the crane for removal.

July 20 | Uzi uses the metal detector in Area D, finding what appeared to be a short nail.

July 20. | Luke sits among rock shards from busted boulders in Area D.

July 20 | Jeremy pauses to smile for the camera.

July 20 | Ming fills a bucket with rich, dark soil in Area D.

July 20 | Chioma sends dirt flying into a bucket.

July 20 | Michelle uses a small pickax to excavate.

July 20 | Eli dumps fill from the wall in Area P.

July 20 | Clement carefully brushes dirt in Area D1.

July 20 | Jill balances in a squat while excavating in Area D1.

July 20 | Jacob excavates a new locus in Area D1.

July 20 | Samuel gathers soil and rocks while excavating in Area D1.

July 20 | Sandy fills a bucket with loose soil in Area D1.

July 20 | Assistant area supervisor Amihai chats with Gavriella.

July 20 | Luke hauls a boulder to the crane for removal.

July 20 | Izaak guides the bucket down for a refill.

July 20 | Christina waves a fistful of dirt by the metal detector to find an elusive metal object—likely a coin.

July 20 | Brett uses his CrossFit training to clean a boulder onto the wall.

July 20 | Brett sledgehammers a rock as Jude watches.

July 20 | Vienna removes dirt between stones to dismantle the southern wall of Area D.

July 20 | Ava works to dismantle the southern wall in Area D.

July 20 | Workers begin taking down Area D’s southern Byzantine wall.

July 17: Exposing a Cistern

The Ophel crew had a productive day at the end of the week. Sledgehammering rocks, dismantling walls, cleaning loci, exposing a cistern—the site was busy with a variety of activities. The end-of-the-week tour revealed just how much each of the areas accomplished.

July 17 | Chris explains the week’s discoveries in Area D1.

July 17 | Akiva explains Area P’s discoveries in the end-of-week tour.

July 17 | Amir explains progress in Area D at the end of the workweek.

July 17 | Brett uses a prybar, Jude his legs and Nick his arms to try to move a large boulder into position for breaking.

July 17 | Assistant area supervisor Aviv works on his laptop in the field.

July 17 | Amir gives instructions for the excavation while Brenna and Shoham listen.

July 17 | Vienna takes over using the sledgehammer to dismantle the southern wall of Area D.

July 17 | Brent demonstrates the proper technique for dislodging stones from a wall.

July 17 | Jude, Caleb and Brett work together to dislodge a large boulder.

July 17 | Jude and Brent take higher positions to get the slab out.

July 17 | Jude and Brent work to remove another slab.

July 17 | Brenna and Jude work together to dismantle a Byzantine wall.

July 17 | Brent gets another slab off the cistern.

July 17 | Daniel lounges on sandbags while he cleans in Area P.

July 17 | Brent uses a winch to remove large stone slabs covering a deep cistern.

July 17 | Shai and Jude dislodge a boulder from the wall.

July 17 | Area D’s rock-breaking crew watches Adam sledgehammer a boulder.

July 17 | Nick smiles while hauling a stone to the crane.

July 17 | Ahinoam looks up for direction while cleaning a wall.

July 17 | Brenna stretches to clean the top of a wall in Area D.

July 17 | Caleb dismantles a modern wall between Area D and Area D1.

July 17 | Akiva attacks Area P with a pickax.

July 17 | Chioma and Elana excavate in Area D1.

July 17 | Bea examines what remains in the screen after dry-sifting out the soil.

July 17: Glass Presentation

July 16: Ophel Tour With the Directors

July 16: Pottery Cleaning

July 16 | Workers in Area P excavate fill from a wall.

July 16 | Ira gets ready to clean pottery.

July 16 | On the southern wall of Area D, Ava draws an arrow on the photo board to indicate north.

July 15: Busy Site

July 15 | A nearly complete vessel freshly excavated from Area D1

July 15 | Laurie carefully removes a small pot discovered in a mikveh.

July 15 | Area P supervisor Akiva makes notes on his field sheet.

July 15 | Amir and Yoav discuss the small locus Yoav is excavating.

July 15 | Laurie is thrilled to remove a large vessel discovered in one of the mikvaot in Area D1.

July 15 | Luke hammers at a large boulder in Area D as Brett waits for his turn.

July 15 | Husam drills a hole through large rocks to stabilize a corner of Area D.

July 15 | Yoav lifts a hoe full of dirt out of the area he is excavating.

July 15 | Reut and Avital excavate a locus in Area D1.

July 15 | Area supervisor Chris watches as Bea, Ori and Lior work.

July 14: The IAA Visits

IAA head Eli Eskosido visited the site, along with head Jerusalem district archaeologist Amit Re’em. We’ve worked closely with Amit Re’em on our Ophel Development Project, so it was great to see him out at the upper site of the Ophel (for more information, read “Excavating Jerusalem’s Gatehouse”).

July 14 | Brent interviews Orit for a Let the Stones Speak video about the excavation, while Nick films from above.

July 14 | Area P workers remove modern fill from the upper mikveh.

July 14 | Ava among the numerous boulders of Area D

July 14 | A section of wall is excavated in Area D.

July 14 | Lior and Michelle excavate one of the mikvehs in Area D1.

July 14 | Michelle holds up a Herodian lamp she just discovered in the mikveh.

July 14 | Noam excavates the mikveh in Area P.

July 14 | Amir explains a stone vessel to Britney while Shoham looks on.

July 14 | Area D workers among large boulders

July 14 | Shoham holds a piece of amber (possibly) found while excavating.

July 14 | Area supervisor Amir gives Adam and Brett excavation instructions.

July 14 | Amit Re’em, IAA head archaeologist of the Jerusalem district, discusses the mikveh in Area P along with Orit, Uzi and Area P supervisor Akiva.

July 14 | IAA head Eli Eskosido (white shirt) and Amit Re’em (far left), IAA head archaeologist of the Jerusalem district, tours the dig site with the directors.

July 13: Starting the Week Strong

July 13 | Adam works the crane at the top.

July 13 | Alaa drives the tractor across the bridge.

July 13 | The pottery washing crew makes headway on the many buckets of pottery and stone objects found in the field.

July 13 | Amir explains a find to Gavriella.

July 13 | Brett takes a pickax to a section in Area D.

July 13 | Gavriella excavates in Area D.

July 13 | Ava and Britney excavate in Area D.

July 13 | Luke uses a large pickax to excavate in Area D.

July 13 | Chioma holds up a stone object she discovered in the mikveh in Area D1.

July 13 | Michelle examines pottery she’s discovered in the mikveh she’s excavating in Area D1.

July 13 | Spencer uses a hoe to excavate in Area D1.

July 13 | Assistant area supervisor Nadav works at the field desk in Area D1.

July 13 | Vienna carries buckets of dirt and rocks from her section to the crane for removal.

July 13 | Nick, Adam and Luke pass buckets in the sharsheret.

July 13 | Area D forms a sharsheret to remove dirt and stones up the wall and out of the field.

July 13 | Amir draws an arrow pointing north on the photo documentary board.

July 10: A Rare Find

July 10 | AIBA Director Stephen Flurry visits the dig site before departing Israel for home.

July 10 | Area D1 supervisor Chris explains his area and the season’s goals during Thursday’s tour.

July 10 | Area P supervisor Akiva explains findings from the mikveh at the end-of-the-dig-week tour.

July 10 | Area D supervisor Amir explains the week’s progress at the end-of-the-dig-week tour.

July 10 | Area D1 forms a sharsheret (bucket chain).

July 10 | A look across Area D reveals Early Roman and Byzantine walls.

July 10 | Yael holds up an indicative rim that she’s washing.

July 10 | Esther washes pottery found in the field.

July 10 | Alaa repairs a tire on the small tractor used to haul out dirt and rocks.

July 10 | Chris and Bea go to great lengths to provide better shade for a field photo.

July 10 | Chris and Bea hold up a board to provide even shade over an area for a photo. Spencer passes another board to Chioma to fill in the gaps.

July 10 | Noam and Lev excavate the mikveh in Area P.

July 10 | A rare find: the remnants of a black oil lamp

July 10 | Nadav and Chris examine the remnants of a rare black oil lamp discovered in their area.

July 10 | Amir uses the leveler to get a height in Area D.

July 10 | Jude uses a brush to clean in Area D.

July 10 | Jeremy and Luke build a covering for the photographer’s “office” in the field.

July 9: A Variety of Tasks

July 9 | Christina uses the metal detector in Area P as Akiva and Amichai look on.

July 9 | Luke uses the saw to rebuild a staircase.

July 9 | Wayne Turgeon excavates a wall in Area D1.

July 9 | Christina holds the metal detector as Hannah waves fistfuls of dirt under it to discover a coin.

July 9 | Bea holds the lata as Nadav (not pictured) reads the height of a recent find.

July 9 | Spencer excavates a wall in Area D1.

July 9 | Assistant area supervisor Shoham in Area D

July 9 | Area supervisor Amir takes a moment to excavate.

July 9 | Brett uses a small pick ax to excavate.

July 9 | Volunteer and nurse Esther makes her rounds at the excavation, encouraging everyone to stay hydrated.

July 9 | Eva and Aviv excavate in Area D.

July 9 | Jeremy demolishes an old rickety staircase.

July 9 | Assistant area supervisor Amichai works in Area P.

July 9 | Grayson places a rock into a large bag in Area D1.

July 9 | Lev pauses from his work of chipping away at the cement encasing the mikveh.

July 8: Touring the Temple Mount

Every Tuesday after work the excavation crew takes a tour of various sites throughout Jerusalem. On today’s tour, the crew went to the Temple Mount. They had the opportunity to see the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque—a structure we work just below.

July 8 | Michael Chernin, expert in the Islamic periods, leads the group tour of the Temple Mount.

July 8 | Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat explains different architectural elements found atop the Temple Mount.

July 8 | The excavation crew tours the Temple Mount.

July 8 | The excavation crew is given a tour of the Temple Mount following the day’s work.

July 8: Digging and Discovering

July 8 | Izaak and Ava excavate in Area D.

July 8 | Aviv holds a coin discovered in Area D.

July 8 | Area supervisor Amir examines a tunnel Mia discovered, who looks on.

July 8 | Vienna uses the sledgehammer to demolish a large rock.

July 8 | Diggers in Area D1 get after it.

July 8 | Area D1 diggers pose to showcase their diversity.

July 8 | Professor Leibner explains some of the finds during the daily show-and-tell.

July 8 | Christina uses the metal detector in Area D1.

July 8 | Bea shows off a stone object she discovered in Area D1.

July 8 | Laurie excavates her triangle in Area D1.

July 8 | Jude kicks up some dirt with the pickax.

July 8 | Britney scoops out dirt, making her way down to the Early Roman Period.

July 8 | Ava pulls the rope to guide the bucket away from the wall as Adam operates the crane to lift out a load of dirt and stones from Area D.

July 8 | Jake returns after dropping off a load of buckets.

July 8 | Jeremy and Luke discuss how to demolish and rebuild a staircase just south of Area P.

July 8 | Assistant area supervisor Aviv carries out a special find.

July 7: Full Day of Excavation

July 7 | Area P supervisor Akiva examines pottery alongside Shai.

July 7 | Laurie excavates a section in Area D1.

July 7 | Area D1 supervisor Chris describes what he wants done in a section.

July 7 | Area D supervisor Amir examines finds.

July 7 | Spencer takes a turn to break the large stone in Area D1.

July 7 | Grayson takes a sledgehammer to a large stone in Area D1.

July 7 | Spencer and Wayne Turgeon work to remove a large stone from Area D1.

July 7 | Christina uses the metal detector in Area D1.

July 7 | Remo cleans the mikveh in Area P.

July 7 | Remo and Area P supervisor Akiva clean a section of the mikveh.

July 7 | Melissa works to remove fill rocks and soil in a pit in the midst of Area D.

July 7 | Jude and Ava transport rocks to the crane for removal.

July 7 | Caleb and Eben carry out a large stone from the Byzantine floor.

July 7 | Area D supervisor Amir instructs his crew on the demolition of the Byzantine floor they are standing on.

July 6: On-site Construction

After years of use, the stairs and railings around the site were in need of updating. In addition to a lot of construction and some more clean up, proper excavation also began in the different areas.

July 6 | Bea, Chioma and Ava clean in Area D1.

July 6 | Christina laughs while cleaning a section in Area D1.

July 6 | Area D1 supervisor Chris Eames discusses construction needs with Spencer and Grayson.

July 6 | Wayne Turgeon constructs railing in Area D1.

July 6 | Brett and Luke build stairs in Area D.

July 6 | Brenna cleans a locus in Area D.

July 6 | Area D assistant supervisors Aviv and Shoham discuss the area with supervisor Amir Cohen-Klonymous.

July 6 | Luke and Adam construct railing in Area D.

July 6 | Jeremy and Luke construct a railing in Area D.

July 6 | Bea cleans a reservoir in Area D1.

July 6 | Chioma sweeps steps in Area D1.

July 6 | Volunteers help prepare lunch for the entire excavation crew.

July 6 | Spencer examines something near the dig entrance.

July 6 | Caleb and Amihai prepare to hoist shade over the pottery washing area as Shlomo, pottery-washing supervisor, looks on.

July 6 | Ron gives safety instructions to the crane operators for this season’s excavations.

July 6 | Orit educates dig volunteers about the Ophel.

July 6 | Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat leads volunteers around the Ophel for a brief history and education on where they are digging.

July 3: Finishing the Week

The crew, joined by a handful of Hebrew University staff and students, finished the week with more cleaning and organizing at the site. With Yedidiah (last year’s logistics manager) on site, shades went up, providing some much needed relief from the sun.

July 3 | Ava sweeps the stairs leading out to the excavation.

July 3 | Nadav sweeps the hallway along the Ophel offices.

July 3 | Grayson and Yedidia hang shades over Area D.

July 3 | Asher ties off ropes for the shades over the dig site.

July 3 | Yedidia hangs shades over Area D.

July 3 | Chioma peers through leaves of a Tree of Heaven growing in the Monastery of the Virgins.

July 3 | Bea and Chioma work on clearing the jungle in the Monastery of the Virgins.

July 3 | Britney and Ava clean one of the offices on the Ophel.

July 2: Work Begins

After a later start than originally planned due to the war situation, Armstrong College students and Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology staff began cleaning up the site. This year, we not only had to deal with the weeds and overgrowth, but also reorganizing the Ophel offices, which had undergone a slight remodel over the past year.