5 things to know about the Government Quarter in the City of David

5 things to know about the Government Quarter in the City of David

1. The remnants of the Government Quarter rise on the mountainside to a height of at least 12 meters.
2. In the Government Quarter excavations, one of the largest collections of seal impressions found in Israel was discovered: 51 seal impressions, called bullae, bearing names in ancient Hebrew letters. One of them bears the name of Gemaryahu son of Shaphan, the scribe to King Jehoiakim mentioned in the book of Jeremiah.
3. A “burned room” (not the burnt house from the Jewish quarter) was discovered in the Government Quarter, containing many arrowheads, bearing silent witness to the hard-fought battles with the Babylonians on the eve of the destruction of the First Temple.
4. During the Government Quarter excavations, one of the rarest and most surprising finds in Jerusalem was discovered: an ancient stone toilet, a testament to the wealth of the homeowners who used it.
5. At the top of the slope, remnants of a wall were discovered, which some researchers believe to be part of the city wall erected at the initiative of Nehemiah during the period of the return to Zion.