Exhibit 41a- The Line in the Wall. To the right of the arch stones, there is a vertical line in the wall. The stones to the left of the line are quite different from the stone to the right of the line. What does it all mean?
Exhibit 41b- Map. Ezra brought the Jews back from the “golus bavel.” He rebuilt the Bais Hamikdash, referred to as the Second Bais HaMikdash. The red lines on the map show the walls of Ezra’s Bais HaMikdash. About 320 years later, King Herod rebuilt the Second Bais HaMikdash and expanded the walls. The blue lines on the map shows Herod’s walls. When a wall is extended, a line, or seam, remains between the old wall and the new extension.
Exhibit 41c- Different Stones. The stones to the left of the line are part of Herod’s wall extension. They have the typical Herodian design- margin and smooth centers. The Stones to the right of the line, or seam, do have margins, but they have rough, protruding centers. These are not Herodian. These stones are from the original Second Bais HaMikdash.
