Shops along the Western Wall

1st Century BCE–1st Century CE

Remains of Herodian shops run along the western wall of the Temple Mount. This street, like the adjacent royal stoa, was one of the commercial and legal hubs of the Temple district. Here, merchants sold animals that could be offered as Temple sacrifices because it was much easier for pilgrims to exchange money for a dove or cattle at the base of the Temple than to journey from their homes to Jerusalem with one. It was also the place where visitors could find money changers who would convert their foreign currency into local Jewish or Tyrian coins; Tyrian shekels were used to pay the Temple tax.

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Credits

© Todd Bolen / BiblePlaces.com.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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An illustrated reconstruction of an ancient temple complex with high stone walls, arched gateways, and several large buildings, set against a hilly landscape with scattered trees.
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The Jerusalem Temple

4th Century BCE–6th Century CE

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