Charred Wooden Beams Reveal First Temple Destruction in Jerusalem

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University uncovered massive charred wooden beams during a 2026 excavation in the Givati parking-lot area of the Jerusalem Walls National Park, part of the City of David. The beams, identified as sycamore wood, were found inside a collapsed building whose plaster walls had melted in the fire, sealing the timber and preserving it for roughly 2,600 years. Excavation director Efrat Bocher explained that the beams “appear to have served as the roof of an inner courtyard in a building from the First Temple period.”

The Jerusalem PostYnetNewsTimes of Israel

The First Temple, constructed by King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The destruction is commemorated annually on the fast of Tisha B’Av, which in 2026 began at sundown on Wednesday and ended Thursday night. The newly found beams are believed to have collapsed onto the floor during that conflagration and were subsequently covered by the melted plaster, creating a “landscape of memory” that survived into the present.

Times of Israel

The investigation was led by IAA excavation director Efrat Bocher, radiocarbon-dating specialist Dr. Johanna Regev (IAA), and excavation co-directors Dr. Yiftah Shalev (IAA) and Prof. Yuval Gadot (Tel Aviv University). Their collaborative analysis combines traditional dendrochronology with radiocarbon dating to refine chronological estimates for the destruction layer.

YnetNews

The beams contain an unusually high number of growth rings. Dr. Johanna Regev noted, “It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings… Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as 10 years.” This precision surpasses the previous ability to date finds only within a span of several centuries, offering a new benchmark for Iron-Age chronology in the region.

Times of Israel

Both Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Prof. Yuval Gadot argue that the charred remains reflect a deliberate post-destruction choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to catastrophe. Shalev described this as “a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed,” suggesting that returning residents intentionally embedded the ruins within the rebuilding process to maintain collective memory.

YnetNews

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu emphasized the find’s symbolic weight, stating that Jerusalem’s soil continues to provide tangible evidence of the city’s ancient past and that the beams “stand as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people’s presence in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago.” The IAA highlighted the discovery’s potential to deepen understanding of the First Temple’s destruction and its aftermath.

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• “The beams appear to have served as the roof of an inner courtyard in a building from the First Temple period.” — Efrat Bocher, Excavation Director, IAA

YnetNews

• “ Evidence of the city's ancient past Bocher said: “We are just before Tisha B’Av.” — Efrat Bocher, Excavation Director, IAA

The Jerusalem Post

• “This discovery makes you feel that you are witnessing the very moment of destruction, the moment when it all happened. It’s deeply moving.” — Efrat Bocher, Excavation Director, IAA

Times of Israel

• “Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as 10 years.” — Johanna Regev, IAA Radiocarbon Specialist

Times of Israel

• “Preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed.” — Yiftah Shalev, IAA Excavation Co-director

YnetNews