A unique pyramid-shaped staircase constructed of large ashlar stones was recently uncovered in an archeological excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The excavation is located in the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David.

The structure is situated alongside a well-preserved 2,000-year-old stepped street, which once carried pilgrims on their way from the Siloam Pool to the Temple that stood atop the Temple Mount. The street was constructed sometime in the fourth decade of the first century CE, and was one of the largest construction projects undertaken in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.

Archeologists believe the structure was a kind of monumental podium that attracted the public’s attention when walking on the city’s main street.