One of Jerusalem’s greatest archaeological mysteries—the location of the biblical Greek fort known as Acra—may at long last be finally solved. Uncovered in a parking lot in the Jerusalem Walls National Park were structures and artifacts that have led the researchers to believe that the Acra is, at long last, found.
Acra itself dates to around 2,000 years ago, and was featured prominently in multiple books of the Maccabees in the Old Testament. It is also described in the writings of Roman historian Josephus Flavius as well. The stronghold was built around 168 BCE under the command of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the emperor of the Seleucid Empire, which stretched approximately from Turkey to Afghanistan.
In Jerusalem, Antiochus attempted to Hellenize the people, with some limited success—a few of the Jewish people indeed adapted Greek ways of life. However, it appears most were not in favor of such a cultural shift, and this antagonism likely drove Antiochus to create the Acra. According to Josephus, it was built overlooking the most important building of the City of David:
“….and when he had overthrown the city walls, he built a citadel [Greek: Acra] in the lower part of the city, for the place was high, and overlooked the Temple; on which account he fortified it with high walls and towers, and put into it a garrison of Macedonians [mercenaries].” (Antiquities of the Jews 12:252-253)
“This stronghold controlled all means of approach to the Temple atop the Temple Mount, and cut the Temple off from the southern parts of the city,” added archaeologists, Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, Yana Tchekhanovets, and Salome Cohen, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in a statement.
From this, the Seleucid Empire solidified its control over Jerusalem.
The Maccabees led a revolt in 167 BCE, driving this foreign influence almost entirely from Jerusalem—except for those entrenched in the Acra. It took the lives of two Maccabee brothers to finally oust the mercenaries and Hellenized Jews within. In 141 BCE, it was finally taken by Simon Maccabee after a prolonged siege, by which time Antiochus IV had died and Antiochus V was in power.
Both the books of the Maccabees and Josephus Flavius claimed the Acra was located within the City of David, which is now the archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem, but it has long been a mystery where it had actually existed.
Old dig site reveals new answers
That is, until a dig site about a decade old revealed new answers.
Now, excavators have discovered what appears to be the remains of a massive fortress on a hill in the City of David: an enormous wall, the base of a tower roughly 12 feet thick and 60 feet long, and a glacis—a defensive embankment made of soil, stone, and plaster.
“This sensational discovery allows us for the first time to reconstruct the layout of the settlement in the city, on the eve of the Maccabean uprising in 167 BCE,” said the excavation directors.
“The new archaeological finds indicate the establishment of a well-fortified stronghold that was constructed on the high bedrock cliff overlooking the steep slopes of the City of David hill.”
Also at the site, they discovered weapons such as sling shots, bronze arrowheads, and ballista stones—all of which were stamped with tridents, the symbolic instrument of Antiochus Epiphanes. But perhaps even more indicative of the time period of the Acra were the small, everyday items.
“The numerous coins ranging in date from the reign of Antiochus IV to that of Antiochus VII and the large number of wine jars (amphorae) that were imported from the Aegean region to Jerusalem, which were discovered at the site, provide evidence of the citadel’s chronology, as well as the non-Jewish identity of its inhabitants,” explained the excavation directors.
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Feature Image: Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority
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