Baruch, A Late Roman Monument in the 'Upper City' of Jerusalem: A Suggestion

Among the architectural remains found in Jerusalem, of the early Roman (Herodian) period, is a series of Attic bases, Ionic capitals and column drums with an average diameter of I meter. These were found in various places, but the largest concentrations are south of the Temple Mount and in the center of the Jewish Quarter. It is suggested that these items were dismantled from the Royal Portico (Stoa Basileios) by the Roman Army, after the sack of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., hauled from the Temple Mount to the Upper City, to construct a monument. This Roman monument is attested by a massive foundation found in the Jewish Quarter, right near the location of discovery of the items, which served as part of the raised podium for the monument, as well as by a Latin mason mark and the remains of a sculptured head of a lion.