King Herod's Quarry Discovered; Probably Used to Build Second Temple
"We know from historical sources that in order to build the Temple and other projects which Herod constructed, such as his palace, hundreds of thousands of various size stones were required – most of them weighing between two and five tons each. The dimensions of the stones that were produced in the quarry...are suitable for the Temple walls."
(Israel)—Archaeologists have discovered a quarter-acre quarry in Jerusalem that apparently was the source for mammoth stones used by Herod to build the Second Temple.
The quarry dates back 2,030 years, according to excavation director Dr. Ofer Sion. The immense size of the stones "indicates it was highly likely that the large stones that were quarried at the site were destined for use in the construction of Herod’s magnificent projects in Jerusalem, including the Temple walls," he said, adding that he "estimated that a large work force among Herod's estimated 10,000 laborers [used]...the high-tech method of removing and transporting the stones on rolling wooden fixtures, some of which were pulled by camels." (Photo: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
"We know from historical sources that in order to build the Temple and other projects which Herod constructed, such as his palace, hundreds of thousands of various size stones were required—most of them weighing between two and five tons each", said the director. "The dimensions of the stones that were produced in the quarry...are suitable for the Temple walls."
"The massive quarrying effort, on the order of hundreds of thousands of stones, lowered the topography of Jerusalem in the vicinity of the Old City," Dr. Sion said. "Today, with the exposure of this quarry, the intensity of the building projects as described in the historical sources can be proven… It is clear that Herod began quarrying closest to the Temple and worked away from it: first he exploited the stone on the nearby ridges and subsequently he moved on to quarry in more distant regions."
