Ancient Greek Fortress 'Arca' Discovered Near Jerusalem

YERUSALEM-After a century of searching, archaeologists say they have discovered the ruins of an ancient Greek fortress that was once the center of power in Jerusalem and a fortress that used to hold the Jewish revolt depicted in the Book of Maccabees.

Researchers have long debated about the location of the ancient fortress Acra, which was built over 2,000 years ago by Antiochus Epiphanes, king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire (Seleucid).

Many have asserted that the Acra fortress located at the site of what is now the Old City of Jerusalem, in locations such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or at the top of the hill where the two Jewish temples once stood and is now the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Overlooking the Valley

But debris statue discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority and announced to the public on Tuesday (3/11) that are outside wall, facing the valley to the south, an area in which according to archaeologists was the center of Jerusalem under King David mentioned in the Bible.

Antiochus, who lived from 215-164 BC, chose the site for the city Acra order to control and monitor activities in the Jewish temple, said Doron Ben-Ami, the archaeologist who led the excavation expeditions.


Acra estimated length of 250 meters and width of 60 meters, it is likely to dominate the rural areas.



Under a place ten years ago is a parking lot, a team of Ben-Ami cleaning artificial hill forgotten within the next civilization.

At one area, they found the stones from one part of the great wall, which is the foundation of a tower, and defense embankment where artifacts such as coins and wine jars show that these objects come from the period of king Antiochus.

Rock tin and bronze arrows from that period were also found, probably from the war between the pro-Greek and Jewish rebels who are trying to master the fortress.

Story of Archaeology Single'

"This is an example of how to move the rocks, coins and dirt embedded in the archaeological story about the reality of the history of Jerusalem," Ben-Ami said.

Location Acra referred vaguely in at least two ancient texts, the Book of Maccabees, which is about rebellion, and a note written by a historian Josephus Flavius.

Historians tell how the rebels, led by Judas Maccabeus, took Jerusalem from the Greek authorities, a victory celebrated by the Jews through Hannukah festival.


But the fortress Acra survive until the rebels, led by the brother of Judas, Simon, managed to surround and force them to surrender.