This episode uncovers the Roman city hidden beneath today’s Damascus Gate — the little-known Aelia Capitolina. A military camp after 70 CE gradually became a Roman colony officially founded during Hadrian’s visit in 130 CE. Recent excavations reveal the city’s grid, including the Cardo, the Forum, and a small theatre near the Western Wall. The new name and layout signaled a deliberate replacement of ancient Jerusalem with a Roman, pagan identity. The 6th-century Madaba Map preserves memories of Hadrian’s pillar and the city’s unusual double-Cardo design. The missing Decumanus and the crooked northern Cardo offer insights into the city’s distinctive planning. Findings show that urban renewal began long before the Byzantine era usually credited with reviving Jerusalem. A major earthquake in 363 CE, not Constantine’s rule, marked the real transition into a Christian cityscape. Fragments of Aelia Capitolina survive inside later structures — arches, pavements, and buried streets. These remains reveal how the Roman imprint continues to shape the Old City’s form and memory.
