Temple of Jerusalem

The Second Temple was the principal sanctuary of ancient Jerusalem, begun in the late sixth century BC and vastly enlarged by Herod the Great from 19 BC. Its expanded platform of about 140,000 square metres was retained by colossal stone walls, the western retaining wall surviving today. White-stone facades accented with gold combined Near Eastern and Hellenistic forms. Destroyed during the Roman siege of AD 70, only sections of the platform and walls remain; reconstructions of the temple rest on scriptural accounts, the writings of Josephus and modern archaeology.