Massive wooden beams charred by the fire that destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple were unearthed during a recent dig at the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Monday morning.

The First Temple, built by the biblical King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar II, the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. 

IAA and Tel Aviv University archaeologists discovered the burnt beams inside a building that had collapsed in the fire.

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

What had likely preserved the beams for 2,600 years, explained Bocher, was plaster that had melted off the building’s walls, sealing the wood beneath it.

Dr. Johanna Regev of the IAA, who is studying the beams, highlighted the rarity of such a discovery. 

"It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings," said Regev. “Here, in the City of David, we found thick beams with many rings, offering significant research potential, with more growth rings enabling higher dating resolution.”

“Until now we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years. Now we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as ten years."

The excavation directors note that Jerusalem's returning residents, as they began to rebuild the city, probably made a deliberate decision to preserve the memory of the destruction by leaving behind remains that tell the story of the catastrophe.

"The concept of a landscape of memory is familiar from many cultures around the world," explained Dr. Yiftah Shalev, who directs the excavation on behalf of the IAA alongside Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University.

According to Shalev, "preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed. Here we see it in its clearest form: a deliberate choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to the destruction and build the new layer over them."

"We are just before Tisha B'Av," added Bocher. "This discovery makes you feel that you are witnessing the very moment of destruction, the moment when it all happened. It's deeply moving."

"Jerusalem’s soil continues to provide tangible evidence of the city’s ancient past,” said Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu on the discovery. “The wooden beams burned in the destruction of the First Temple stand as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people’s presence in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago.”

“On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery underscores that our connection to Jerusalem is rooted not only in faith, but also in history, archaeology, and collective memory. It is our responsibility to continue uncovering, preserving, and passing this heritage on to future generations.”