Carved stone from the  Hulda Gate, Temple Mount courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

For many years the scientific excavation of archaeological sites in Jerusalem was impossible. Excavation undertaken in the city, beginning in the 19th century, were carried out at relatively few sites and under many restrictions. Nevertheless, remains were discovered from the Chalcolithic period onwards. The archaeological secrets of the city remained concealed until the Six-Days War in 1967. Since then, however, extensive and fundamental excavations concentrating primarily in the areas of the Western and Southern Walls of the Temple Mount, in the Jewish Quarter in David's Citadel, on Mount Zion, and in David's City have added considerably to our knowledge of ancient Jerusalem. For the first time the period of the First and Second Temples is being revealed through the analysis of the numerous objects dating from these times found in archaeological contexts. The magnificent past of Jerusalem is now gradually being disclosed.

Excavations in Jerusalem in the last years have helped to reconstruct, with a good degree of accuracy, the walls of the Temple Mount, the gates, the flights of stairs, and the building such as the Royal Stoa, as they were build by Herod. These reconstruction provide a picture of the area as it must have been at the end of the Second Temple period.

Kraters, were found one on top of the other First Temple period courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority Finds from the First Temple Period Remains of Jerusalem of the First Temple period have been discovered at various sites: un David's City, in the Jewish Quarter, on the Temple Mount and on Mount Zion. Most of the objects found so far can be dated to the final stage of the period of the Kingdom of Judah (8th–6th BCE). The objects exhibited here were discovered in the ruins of a magnificent building excavated by the Temple Mount Expedition. The highly burnished bowls reflect a high standard of craftsmanship, the rank of the house's inhabitants. The three store jars, probably used to store oil, were found in the cellar of the house, together with many other vessels. The four large kraters were discovered upside-down in a heap, probably left in that fashion by their last owners. The building itself was destroyed in the great destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.

Finds from the Second Temple Period Numerous finds from the Second Temple period have been discovered in the various excavations in Jerusalem. Those objects on display here come from a site in the vicinity of the Temple Mount. The most impressive are those architectonic features associated with the building activities of King Herod: the erection of the Temple Mount walls and gates was part of the construction of the Temple itself. Splendid remains from the Huldah Gates are exhibited here; their study has provided information regarding the manner of decoration as well as the art of the Jews of Jerusalem during the Herodian period. From these building fragments, the magnificence of Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period can be reconstructed. Everyday utensils made of stone are especially noteworthy and point to a highly developed stonemason industry in Jerusalem. Their popular use at this time is associated, apparently, with the gradual defining of the laws concerning purity and cleanliness. The most outstanding examples of this type of work are cups, furniture and the sundials (see also the model of the Burnt House). Jewish Ossuaries, 1st century BCE - 1st century CE

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