Archaeologists have reportedly uncovered wooden beams that were burned during the destruction of Jerusalem’s First Temple in 586 BCE.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) stated that the preserved wood was discovered during recent excavations at the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David.

“Discovered during excavations at the Givati Parking Lot, these thick beams most likely formed part of the roofing of an inner courtyard. Researchers believe that plaster covering the building’s walls melted during the intense fire, covered the charred wood and helped preserve it for approximately 2,600 years,” the IAA’s official X account noted.

Dr. Johanna Regev of the IAA, who is studying the beams, explained: “It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings. Here in the City of David, we found thick beams with many rings, offering significant research potential. More growth rings enable higher dating resolution.”

“Until now, we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years,” Regev said. “Now, we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as 10 years.”

According to the IAA, Jerusalem’s returning residents, as they began rebuilding the city, likely made a deliberate choice to preserve the memory of the destruction by leaving behind remains that tell the story of the catastrophe.

“The concept of a landscape of memory is familiar from many cultures around the world,” said Dr. Yiftah Shalev, who leads the excavation on behalf of the IAA with Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University. “Preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed.”

Shalev added: “Here we see it in its clearest form — a deliberate choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to the destruction and build the new layer over them.”

The annual Tisha B’Av fast, widely regarded as the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem’s First and Second Temples on the same day centuries apart, along with the exile of the Jewish people from the Land of Israel.

The First Temple, constructed by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second Temple fell to Roman forces in 70 CE. Tisha B’Av also marks several other historic calamities that have befallen the Jewish people.