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Israel Uncovers 2,000-Year-Old Acra Fortress
(Israel Antiquities Authority-Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the City of David in Jerusalem have uncovered the Greek Acra - the famous stronghold built by Antiochus IV. In recent months, excavators have exposed a section of a massive wall, a base of a tower of impressive dimensions (4x20 meters), and a glacis - a defensive sloping embankment designed to keep attackers away from the base of the wall. Lead sling shots, bronze arrowheads and ballista stones were discovered at the site, stamped with a trident, which symbolized the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. In 141 BCE, the Acra fortress surrendered to Simon Maccabee after a prolonged siege.