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Jerusalem Archaeological Park
The temple's construction

Once king Herod gained the people's consent of his plans to dismantle the old temple and build a new enclosure in its place (See Herod's Bulding Proclamation), he enlarged the area surrounding the temple, known as the Temple Mount. According to Josephus Flavius, the erection of the temple was initiated in the year 20/19 BCE and was completed in a year and five months, while the construction of the Temple Mount enclosure took eight years. The paving of the streets surrounding the Temple Mount was not completed till much later, in the days of Nero, four year before the final destruction of the temple.
The temple was constructed of large white stones. Josephus in Jewish Antiquities providea their measurements: each 12 x 25 cubits, 8 cubits high. In his The Jewish War some of the temple's stones measure as much as 6 x 44 cubits, 5 cubits high. The elevated temple's center rose above its surroundings and could be seen from afar. The entrances to the temple were adorned with richly-colored curtains. At the entrance to the nave a golden vine, a wonder to all, stood out in its exceptional beauty.
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