Ancient Greek citadel found in Jerusalem

Israeli archaeologists claim they have found the remnants of an ancient Greek citadel, which was a center of power in Jerusalem. Its exact location had been unknown up to nowIsrael's antiquities body claimed Nov. 3 to have solved "one of Jerusalem's greatest archaeological mysteries" by unearthing an ancient Greek citadel, the Acra, buried under a car park.

Archaeologists have puzzled for more than a century over the exact location of the Acra, built by Seleucid Emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-164 B.C.) to control Jerusalem and the ancient Jewish temple there.

The temple was razed by the Romans in 70 A.D., and two Muslim holy sites, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque were built there centuries later.

The site, known to Muslims as The Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, is sacred to both peoples and today the site of frequent disputes and clashes.

"Researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority believe they have found the remains of the stronghold... in the Givati parking lot excavations at the City of David," the authority said. That was a reference to an archaeological site situated in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in occupied east Jerusalem.

"The Givati excavation continues to uncover numerous artifacts from more than 10 different ancient cultures from Jerusalem's history," the authority said.

The citadel is mentioned in both the Jewish Book of Maccabees and in the writings of historian Flavius Josephus in the 1st century A.D. but its exact location was unknown until now. 

Excavators uncovered a section of the citadel's wall as well as the base of a tower of "impressive dimensions," the authority said.  

"This sensational discovery allows us for...