Herodian Remains Earthquake

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Rahmani (1964:98–99) interpreted the collapse of certain “structured parts” of Jason’s Tomb in Jerusalem as the result of the 31 BCE earthquake. He identified Herodian material—mainly oil lamps—lying on a plaster floor beneath the collapse debris. Because Herod’s conquest of Jerusalem occurred in 37 BCE and Rahmani (1964) dated the sealing of the tomb to 30/31 CE, he assumed that the only suitable event was the Josephus Quake of 31 BCE, the sole earthquake then known for this interval. Subsequent research has established the Jerusalem Quake of 26–36 CE as another plausible candidate for generating the collapse debris. If the Jerusalem Quake did affect Jason’s Tomb, it may have contributed additional material to the destruction layer rather than being responsible for the original collapse.
By Jefferson Williams