City of David Pilgrimage Road
What Was Found
The Pilgrimage Road (also called the Stepped Street or Herodian Street) is a massive stone-paved road discovered in Jerusalem's City of David that connected the Pool of Siloam at the southern end to the Temple Mount at the northern end. The road was first uncovered in 2004 when a sewage pipe burst beneath a residential area and municipal workers discovered ancient paving stones during repairs. Subsequent systematic excavations were conducted by Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, and later by Joe Uziel and Moran Hagbi, continuing to the present day. The road is approximately 600 meters long and 8 meters wide, constructed of large stone slabs with stepped sections to manage the steep incline of the Tyropoeon Valley. Coins minted by the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate (26–36 CE) found sealed in the road's foundation layers confirm its construction during the first century CE, during or shortly after the governorship of Pontius Pilate. This is the road that Jewish pilgrims, including Jesus and his disciples, would have walked when ascending from the ritual purification pools at Siloam to the Temple. Excavations along the road have also uncovered a marketplace, stone vessels, ritual baths, and a large drainage channel beneath the pavement where, according to Josephus, refugees hid during the Roman siege of 70 CE.
Why This Matters
The Pilgrimage Road provides a tangible archaeological connection to the daily experience of Jewish worship during the Second Temple period. Coins of Pontius Pilate in the foundation layers provide a firm terminus post quem, and the road's route from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple corresponds to descriptions in ancient Jewish sources of the pilgrimage ascent.
Acceptance Assessment
Widely Accepted
The road's existence, date, and route are well established. Its identification as a pilgrimage route used in the Second Temple period is supported by multiple lines of evidence including coins, stratigraphy, and literary sources.
What Scholars Debate
Recent studies have questioned whether the road was built by Herod the Great or by a later Roman prefect. The coins of Pontius Pilate in the bedding layers suggest construction during or after his governorship (26–36 CE), which is later than initially assumed. The political implications of excavating under the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan have also generated controversy.