The site where Jesus may have been tried before his crucifixion, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is now open to the public.
The site was found under the floor of an abandoned building next to the Tower of David Museum. It was excavated for years, but the exploration was stalled for a period of time due to lack of funding, the Washington Post reported. It was buried under what was believed to have been a prison used by the Ottoman Turks and later the British. The stunning palace will now be open to the public for guided tours.
Researchers believe the site is the foundation of the palace of King Herod, where the Roman governor Pontius Pilate put Jesus on trial, Religion News Service reported. The palace was most likely built at the end of the First century B.C.
"It was enormous, with a lot of gold and silver and running water and guest quarters," Archaeologist Amit Re'em of the Israel Antiquities Authority told RNS. The ruins were also found to have a highly complex sewage system.
While the site may have been the location of Jesus' final days, the region where Jesus died was and still is under serious debate, the Washington Post reported. Different interpretation of the location are based on different interpretations of the Gospels that say Jesus was taken before Pilate in the "praetorium," which is a Latin term for a General's tent within a Roman encampment. Some people believe the "praetorium" would have been located in a military barracks, while others say Pilate's was more likely to have been a guest in Herod's palace.
Shimon Gibson, an archaeology professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is convinced the trial took place in Herod's palace compound because the Gospel of John mentions the trial taking place near a gate and on stone pavement, which is consistent with the environment near the prison.
"There is, of course, no inscription stating it happened here, but everything - archaeological, historical and gospel accounts - all falls into place and makes sense," Gibson told the Washington Post.
The prison will most likely become a regular attraction for Christians, and tour guides have already developed a walking tour of the site that includes an outline of Christian history.
"We will continue to develop the prison for visitors," museum director Eilat Lieber told the Washington Post.
