Burnt House

The Burnt House was set on fire during the final stages of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, specifically during the destruction of the Upper City in September 70. According to Josephus, Jerusalem's Upper City was known for its wealth. It was located close to the Second Temple and inhabited by priestly families who served in the temple. The house was destroyed one month after the Temple and Lower City. When the Romans stormed the Upper City, they found little resistance: Much of the population was near death from disease and starvation. ==Archaeological excavations==

Following the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem the Jewish quarter was rebuilt, and extensive archeological excavations were conducted in the area. The excavations were carried out from 1969 to 1982 under the auspices of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Israel Exploration Society and the Israel Department of Antiquities (today, the Israel Antiquities Authority). The excavations were headed by Dr Nahman Avigad. Findings In 1970, one of the findings of the Avigad excavations was the Burnt House, which was found under a layer of ashes and destruction, indicating that the house had been burned down. Conflagration traces Throughout the house are stones burnt by an intense fire, scorched wooden beams and layers of ash and soot that testify to the huge fire that raged here. Its walls and wood-beamed ceilings collapsed in a conflagration, sealing an abundance of diverse objects in its rooms. Scattered in disarray among the collapsed walls, ceilings and the second story, were fragments of stone tables and many ceramic, stone and metal vessels, iron nails found in the ruins are all that was left of the wooden roof, the shelves and furnishings which were completely burnt. Small objects Among the smaller artefacts found were inkwells, Roman-period oil lamps that were used to light up the house during the evenings, and other household items, the large jugs, bowls and measuring cups, indicating that this was a perfume production workshop. Leaning against a corner of a room was an iron spear, which may have belonged to one of the Jewish fighters who lived here. Drainage channel A covered drainage channel from the Roman period. According to the historian Josephus, some of the last Jewish rebels to hold out against the Romans hid in tunnels such as this. Human remains In the room identified as the kitchen, the forearm bones from the finger tip to the elbow joint of a woman approximately 25 years old were discovered. Since the bone is almost certainly that of a Jewish woman, it was buried in accordance with Jewish law, but pictures of the findings are on display. ==Kathros family==

Also found in the house was a round stone weight, in diameter, inscribed in square Aramaic script with the words "Bar Kathros," meaning "son of Kathros." This suggests that the house belonged to the priestly Kathros family. The Talmud references them in a poem listing priestly families who abused their positions in the Temple, stating: The attack for misusing their pens may mean they spread false rumors or misinformation. Although someone may have carried this weight from another house, the Bar Kathros family certainly had a house in Jerusalem, given their priestly position, and this one is a good candidate. ==Museum==

The excavated house is open to the public, and its artifacts are on display in the small museum near the room. The 12-minute audio-visual presentation, set up inside the house, plays back the nearly 2,000-year-old events: the preparations of the revolt against the Romans, the different political opinions of the family members, news on the approaching Roman Legions, the destruction of the temple, the storming of both the city and the house, then ending with the torching of the house. == See also ==