Burnt House in Jerusalem

Jerusalem can be described as a ‘goldmine’ for those who are interested in history and archaeology. A place which was the birthplace of many famous personalities and the witness to many gory wars is indeed a place which can interest anyone who loves to go for sight-seeing. For time immemorial, Jerusalem has faced the wrath of invaders. Burnt House in Jerusalem is one of the evidences of the torture that the city had gone through in the hands of the invaders. It is now a museum preserved beneath a modern building.

A sneak peek at the history shows us that Burnt House is located at Upper City. After witnessing the massacre of the Lower City and Temple Mount in the hands of the Roman soldiers, the Upper City still resisted the attack for a month. But finally, when the Romans attacked them, they could hardly resist since maximum population was almost dead due to diseases and lack of food. The Romans ruthlessly plundered and destroyed the area after becoming victorious. Centuries went by and in 1970, when the archaeologists excavated the Burnt Hose in Jerusalem, it provided the evidence of the Roman torture. The house had an area of about ten meters square with a kitchen, work rooms and a small ritual bath.

When the Burnt House in Jerusalem was excavated, chill went through the spines of both the archaeologists and the diggers. The room that came into view first, was probably the kitchen of the house and while searching through the debris, they found the forearm bones of a woman, which was pointed towards a particular area of the room. Further digging continued and a wooden spear was discovered. It seemed that before her death, the woman wanted to reach out to the spear. Other things which were discovered were large stone water jars, inkwells and other household items. From the layers of ashes and soot over these items, the belief was strengthened that the house was burnt down.

However, the most important articles discovered at the site are the coins and the set of weights. Among the coins there were some issued by the Roman governors of Judea, and the others were issued by the Jewish rebels in AD 67-69. Their presence was further evidence that the house was burnt down some point at this time. Some of these coins had the name of ‘Bar Kathros’ engraved on them. ‘Bar Kathros’ was a famous priestly family of Upper City. This wealthy family had its name mentioned on only in the Talmud but also in an ancient folk song. Finding coins with its name, made the archaeologists believe that the Burnt House in Jerusalem was the residence of the Bar Kathros, though some also suggest that the coins might have been brought from some other place and kept there. However, the first theory might hold true.

So, when you go for a trip to Jerusalem, Burnt House in Jerusalem should be one of your must-visit destinations.