Herod the Great Extends the Platform of the Second Temple
One of the most amazing feats in the construction of the new Temple was enlarging and levelling out the modest Mount Moriah, into a spacious platform that could hold significant crowds. Historians estimate that there were between six to seven million Jews living across the Roman Empire many of whom would come to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals. The large platform was achieved by building fortified retaining walls with a myriad of arches holding up the floor of the new mound from below. Even today, it remains the largest man-made platform in the world.Pictured here is the Temple platform sketch by archaeological architect, Leen Ritmeyer.