Photos: Evidence of Ancient Roman Battle Found in Jerusalem

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Traces of battle

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

Archaeologists discovered a field of stones and other projectiles outside an ancient wall in Jerusalem. These could be 2,000-year-old traces of a battle with Rome. [Read the full story]

Third wall

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

The excavations, which took place in Jerusalem Russian Compound, revealed a thick wall, believed to be the city's "Third Wall," described by the historian Josephus.

Sling stones

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

The ground outside the wall was covered with these large battle stones, which researchers think date back to the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Battle scars

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

The Romans would have shot these stones with slings or other more sophisticated siege engines like ballista.

Weapons of war

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

A corroded metal spearhead was also discovered outside the wall. [Read the full story]

Ancient pots

Jerusalem's third wall battle Rome

(Image credit: Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

Broken jars like this one helped the team date the battlefield back to Roman times. [Read the full story]

Megan Gannon
Megan Gannon
Live Science Contributor
Megan has been writing for Live Science and Space.com since 2012. Her interests range from archaeology to space exploration, and she has a bachelor's degree in English and art history from New York University. Megan spent two years as a reporter on the national desk at NewsCore. She has watched dinosaur auctions, witnessed rocket launches, licked ancient pottery sherds in Cyprus and flown in zero gravity. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.