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 The owner of the lavish Jerusalem mansion — which would have enjoyed a monumental view of the Old City and the Temple — remains a mystery, but archaeologists were able to date the finds back to the era of the Judean kings, due to the proto-Aeolic features of the soft limestone architecture.
The finds include three complete medium-sized limestone “capitals” and items from lavish window frames.
The column head design will appear strikingly familiar to Israelis — it adorns the five-shekel coin of the modern State of Israel in tribute to the First Temple era.
This is a first-time discovery of scaled-down models of the giant proto-Aeolian capitals, of the kind found thus far in the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, where they were incorporated above the royal palace gates. The level of workmanship on these capitals is the best seen to date, and the degree of preservation of the items is rare.
Experts believe the residence was built between the reigns of kings Hezekiah and Josiah, after the Assyrian siege on the city was lifted. Residents of Jerusalem then ventured outside the walled City of David and expanded the city.
The three columns and other remnants of the building are on display at the City of David archaeological center. It’s unclear when the archaeological dig at the Armon Hanatziv promenade, a popular Jerusalem site, was conducted.