TEL AVIV Vol.

42, 2015, 67–71

A New Fragment of Proto-Aeolic

Capital from Jerusalem
Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets
Israel Antiquities Authority

The article deals with a fragment of a proto-aeolic capital recently found in

the Givati Parking Lot excavations in the northwestern sector of the City of
David, Jerusalem.

Keywords Jerusalem, Givati excavations, City of David, Proto-aeolic capitals

A fragment of a so-called proto-aeolic capital was recently found in Jerusalem. It was

unearthed in the excavations carried out by the authors at the Givati Parking Lot, located
in the northwestern sector of the City of David.1 Although only a small fragment of the
capital survived, its attribution to this specific group of ashlar masonry is not in doubt. The
fragment joins a growing corpus of proto-aeolic capitals that have been found in Israel
and the neighbouring areas in general and in Jerusalem in particular.2
The capital fragment measures 17×12 cm, and is 11 cm thick (Fig. 1B; Fig. 2A–B).
The back did not survive, and hence it is not known whether the capital was single- or
double-faced. It is made of soft limestone and part of the relief-decoration is preserved—the
left side of the central triangle at the point where it meets the top edge of the volute and
the lower edge of the circle between them.
The triangle is defined by a band consisting of three rounded parallel ridges, each 1.5
cm wide. The band is raised 1 cm from the surface, and the grooves that separate the ridges
are 0.5 cm deep. The ridges that form the top edge of the volute and the circumference of
the circle are similarly 1.5 cm wide, and are raised 1 cm from the surface.
Upon its discovery we considered that this fragment might fit into the missing space
between the two fragments of the single capital uncovered by Kenyon in the City of

1
The excavations are conducted on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and financed
by the ELAD association. This article could not have been written without the meticulous work
carried out by S. Cohen, the area supervisor. Special thanks are due to A. Ruban (drawings).
2
See the new fragment of proto-aeolic capital recently found in the Ophel excavations headed
by E. Mazar (http://www.keytodavidscity.com/the-israeliteproto-aeolic-capital/), and the item
from Nahal Refa<im (Ein-Mor and Ron 2013 and references).

© The Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University 2015 DOI 10.1179/0334435515Z.00000000042

68 Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets

Figure 1 (A) The proto-aeolic capital from Kenyon's excavations (J1) and (B) a scaled
reconstruction of a capital with the new fragment from the Givati Parking Lot excavations(J2).

David during her excavations at the top of the eastern slope in Area P (Kenyon 1967:
59, Pl. 20; hereby referred to as J1, following Shiloh 1979: 1, 10–11). These fragments
were part of an ashlar collapse (Kenyon 1963: Pl. VIII: B) that Kenyon described as
destruction rubble sealed under a stratum dating to the 5th–3rd centuries BCE (Kenyon
1963: 16; Prag 1987: 122).
On further examination of the capital itself in its present location at the Israel
Museum in Jerusalem, and of published drawings and photographs (Kenyon 1967: Pl.
20; Shiloh 1979: Pl. 15: 1; Mazar 2009: 42; Lipschits 2011: Fig. 4), it became evident
that the fragment from the Givati Parking Lot is definitely not part of it but belongs to
a capital far smaller in scale (Fig. 1A–B). This is most obvious in the band that forms
the side of the central triangle,3 which in J2 is 4.5 cm wide, whereas the width of the
corresponding band in J1 is 7 cm. Furthermore, the innermost ridge is complete in J1

3
Figure 1A–B shows the two capitals drawn to the same scale. Capital J1 (Fig. 1A), which
measures 131 × 60 × 43.5 cm, has been published in various scales, not always keeping the
correct proportions. We would like to thank Eran Arie of the Israel Museum for providing us
with precise measurements and for suggesting other insights on the J1 capital.
 A NEW FRAGMENT OF PROTO-AEOLIC CAPITAL FROM JERUSALEM 69

A B
Figure 2 Drawing (A) and photo (B) of the J2 fragment from the Givati Parking Lot Excavations
(photo by C. Amit).

and therefore our fragment could not fit into the existing gap; since J1 is a single face
capital, there is no other possible position for it. The Givati Parking Lot proto-aeolic
capital fragment is thus conclusively shown to be a part of a new capital (hence J2,
following Shiloh’s nomenclature). It is noteworthy that the central triangle of J2 closely
resembles in proportions that of J1. The elongated and somewhat elegant proportions
of this central motif distinguish these two capitals from most of the capitals unearthed
at nearby Ramat Raḥel. As Shiloh noted, J1 shows outstanding workmanship when
compared to all other proto-aeolic capitals (1979: 17).
After seven years, the intensive archaeological excavations at Givati Parking Lot
finally reached the Iron Age remains on the northern side of the site. In common with the
remains of the same period that were previously uncovered in the southeastern corner of
the area (Ben Ami 2013: 8–18; 2014: 5–14) the Iron Age stratum here was buried under
approximately 9 m of archaeological debris. At the time that this article was submitted for
publication the Iron II remains in the northern part of the site were still being excavated
and the plan of this stratum was not yet clearly defined. Nevertheless, the available data
make it possible to offer some preliminary observations on the newly found fragment of
proto-aeolic capital within its archaeological context.
Capital fragment J2 originated in a layer consisting of Iron II debris, mixed with
Hellenistic sherds (late 3rd to 2nd century BCE). These fills were excavated along the
southern face of a wide and long wall built in an east to west direction and dated to the
Iron II. The wall is constructed of ashlar masonry. Only one course of the wall remains
on the eastern side where bedrock is high, but as it descends toward the west, the wall
is preserved to a greater height. A monumental entrance, 1.9 m wide, was found here.
 70

Hellenistic wall
Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets

Door posts

Threshold

J2
Find spot

Figure 3 The Iron II ashlar wall with monumental threshold and the find spot of the J2 fragment (photo by A. Peretz).
 A NEW FRAGMENT OF PROTO-AEOLIC CAPITAL FROM JERUSALEM 71

The door posts are made of large ashlar blocks, and between them a large ashlar stone
threshold is still in place.
Judging by the length and construction style of its wall, this large Iron II building
must have boasted a high standard of architectural décor. Since proto-aeolic capitals are
associated with structures of ashlar masonry, and the building under discussion clearly fits
this definition, it seems unlikely that the find spot of Capital fragment J2 only 1 m south
of the monumental entrance is coincidental. The capital fragment from the Givati Parking
Lot seems to provide further support for the assumption that proto-aeolic capitals are
associated with entrances to ashlar-built structures, as is the case at the site of Mudeibi>a
in Moab and as suggested for Hazor, Samaria, Megiddo and Ramat Raḥel (Shiloh 1979:
1–12, 21–25; Lipschits 2011: 203–217).
Most of the Iron II building is still buried under debris of the Hellenistic and Late
Roman periods. Yet even at this initial stage it seems that it will eventually be fully exposed
and its dimensions, plan and function will be available for study.

References
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Ben-Ami, D. 2014. Notes on the IR IIA Settlement in Jerusalem in Light of Excavations in the
Northwest of the City of David. Tel Aviv 41: 3–19.
Ein-Mor, D. and Ron, Z. 2013. An Iron Age Royal Tunnel Spring in the Region of Naḥal Rephaim.
In: Stiebel, G.D., Peleg-Barkat, O., Ben-Ami, D., Weksler-Bdolah, S. and Gadot, Y., eds.
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Prag, K. 1987. Decorative Architecture in Ammon, Moab and Judah. Levant 19: 121–127.
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