House of Ahiel

$6.00

Description

In the excavations in the City of David, a stepped stone structure was found in Area G that may have served as a foundation for King David’s palace that stood higher up the hill.

During the time of King Hezekiah, a dwelling was  built into this stepped structure. This residence was built in the typical Israelite style of the time. The house had four separate areas, a central courtyard with two side spaces with pillars and a two-story high living quarters at the back. At the north side a room was added that had a stone with two centrally placed holes near its centre, and evidently served as a toilet. The room below served as a sump. A staircase in front of the house led up to the roof of one of the side spaces of the courtyard. A potshard with the name “Ahiel” was found inside the house, and therefore it was dubbed the House of Ahiel.