The Seleucid Akra and the Hasmonean “First Wall”: Could They Have Coexisted?
The Seleucid Akra and the Hasmonean “First Wall”: Could They Have Coexisted?

Summary/Abstract: This paper re-examines the timing of the construction of the “First Wall” around Jerusalem’s Western Hill and the process of the city’s westward expansion. The author argues that internal struggles within the Seleucid court during the mid-second century BCE created instability, weakening Seleucid control in Judea. This allowed Jonathan and Simon to strategically navigate the political landscape. This context suggests that Jonathan and Simon often acted with a Seleucid mandate. Given this political climate, the article proposes that the initiative to rebuild the Western Hill’s ancient wall may have begun earlier, potentially during Simon’s reign or even Jonathan’s leadership, while a Seleucid garrison was still stationed in the Akra. The restoration, starting with the rehabilitation of the ancient wall, may have been a mutually beneficial act. Later, several towers built of marginally dressed ashlar stones were added at strategic points, likely for tactical reasons. In summary, this paper suggests that the westward expansion and the construction of the First Wall were more gradual than previously assumed, and that the initial restoration may have begun before 141 BCE due to Seleucid instability and the Hasmonean brothers’ skillful diplomacy and growing authority—possibly undertaken with some level of coordination with the Seleucid rulers.

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