Have Archaeologists Found the Acra Fortress in Jerusalem?

Weather Channel reports: An ongoing archaeological dig in Israel continues to reveal evidence that researchers have come across the site of the historic Greek fortress, Acra.

Initially discovered in 2015, the ruins were situated underneath what was formerly a parking lot between the Temple Mount and the Palestinian village of Silwan, according to National Geographic.

“This sensational discovery allows us for the first time to reconstruct the layout of the settlement in the city,” archaeologists told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The fortress was constructed more than 2,000 years ago by Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes and became the heart of a brutal rebellion that eventually cast the Greeks out of Jerusalem.

Before this discovery, the citadel was only known from ancient texts. It is mentioned in the Book of Maccabees, which details the rebellion and in a written record by historian Josephus Flavius, according to Deutsche Welle (DW). Its exact location puzzled archaeologists for more than a century.