'Mystery' structure discovered in Jerusalem: Was it built after Jesus' last days in the Holy City?

Israeli archaeologists have recently discovered a stone structure in Jerusalem that they deem to have originated from a time shortly after Jesus spent his last days in the Holy City. What the archaeologists don't know is the function the structure played almost 2,000 years ago.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Israeli Antiquities Authority announced the discovery on Monday, August 31. The curious structure was identified as a first century A.D. pyramid-shaped staircase built of large, finely cut stones.

According to excavation director Dr. Joe Uziel, the structure is unique. "It doesn't lead to any building [and] no other similar structure has been found in Jerusalem and, as far as we know, around the world," he stated.

The group of archaeologists were initially unsure of what the mysterious pyramid-shaped staircase functioned as, stating, "given the lack of a clear archaeological parallel to the stepped-structure, the purpose of the staircase remains a mystery."

One of the primary theories is that the structure served as a podium for making public announcements as it was strategically situated on an important pathway and there were whole pottery, stone, and glass vessels found at the foot of it.
 
The explanation that it served as a podium was inferred from rabbinic texts, which refer to stone platforms that functioned as sites for auctions and finding lost belongings during the Second Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority noted. The podium was constructed shortly after 30 A.D. and was built around the same time as the street it is a part of.
 
The street where the enigmatic stone structure was discovered was actually one of the largest construction designs in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period and incorporated "enormous" stone slabs, according to Antiquities Authority. It led Jewish pilgrims from the Pool of Siloam on the southern slope of the City of David to the Second Temple which sat on the Temple Mount.

Unfortunately, Uziel reports, "Since our dating is slightly after Jesus, he wouldn't have walked on this road. Would he have walked a similar path? Possibly."

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