Despite its name, the Tower of David—the citadel locater near the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City—has little connection to King David. Much of it was constructed during the Hasmonean and Herodian periods (i.e., the 1st and 2nd centuries BCE), although the oldest structures date as far back the 8th century BCE. Since the 1980s, it has also been home to a museum that is now undergoing renovations, meant to reflect the newest advances in conservation. Ruth Marks Eglash writes:
As with any construction project inside Jerusalem’s ancient walls, it is the secrets hidden below the ground, beneath more recent layers, that often present the most unpleasant surprises. The biggest surprise for archaeologists took place at the location of what will soon be a sparkling new entrance pavilion to the museum. . . . As machines began removing dirt from the area, which originally served as a Crusader moat, they realized that beneath the massive Jerusalem stones that form the walls of the Old City there were no solid foundations.
While this discovery temporarily halted the construction, with engineers brought in to secure the stone, the break gave archaeologists a chance to re-explore 500-year-old Ottoman architecture and building methods.
Although the site was excavated by British archaeologists nearly 100 years ago, . . . they relied on classic archaeological methods to date the structure. With updated technology, including the use of carbon dating . . . archaeologists will be able to create a more accurate timeline for Jerusalem.
Read more on Jewish Insider: https://jewishinsider.com/2022/01/in-jerusalem-an-ancient-site-undergoes-renovations-with-modern-technology/