(1.) The first point of note in this direction is the Toioer of Furnaces, which may be located on the north- eastern slope of the elevation assumed to be that of Gol- gotha (Neh. iii, 8, 11, 13 ; xii, 38 ; comp. 2 Chron. xxvi, 9) ; and (2.) on the western bank of this entrance of the Tyropoeon would be situated the Corner-gate (compare Jer. xxxi, 38).
From this point the wall would run directly across the broad beginning of the Tyropceon, to meet the north- western brow of Acra, which Josephus intimates it only serv'ed to include. This part spanning the valley must be the Broad Wall, referred to in Neh. iii, 8 ; xii, 38, as lying here. A stronger wall would be needed here, as there was no natural breastwork of rock, and it was on this side that invaders always approached the city. Ac-
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conlinply, this strengthening of the wall in this part by an additional thickness was first efFected by Jlanasseh (•2 t'hron. xxxiii, 14); and having been broken down in Hezekiah's time, it was rebuilt by him as a del'cncc against the Assyrians (2 Chron. xxxii, 5), and again broken down by the rivalJehoash, on his capture of the city ('2 Kings xiv, 13).
(3.) On the eastern slope of this depression, we think, must be jilaced the A'phraim-f/dte (Nch. iii, 38, 39 ; 2 Kings xiv, 13; comp.Neh.viii, K!), corresponding to the modern '• Damascus-gate," and probably identical with the Beiijdinin-f/atc (.Jer. xxxvii, 12, 13; comp. xxxviii, 7 ; see Zecii. xiv, 10), but different from the " IJii/k gate of Benjamin, that was by the house of the Lord" (Jer. XX, 2). The character of the masonry at the present DamasCTis-gate, and the rooms on each side of it, indi- cate this as one of the ancient entrances (Hobinson, Researches, i, 463, 404).
From this point the wall probably ran in a circular north-east course along the northern declivity of Acra, about where the modern wall does, until it reached,
(4.) The Old-(jate, which appears to have stood at the north-east corner of Acra (Neh. iii, 3, <j, 8 ; xii, 39) ; ap- parently the same as the First-gate (Zech. xiv, 10).
Here, we conceive, the wall took a bend to the south, following the steep eastern ridge of Acra; for Joscphus states that it "only inclosed" this hill, and then joined the tower Antonia. For this latter reason, also, it must have passed along the edge of the valley which con- nects this point with the western end of the pseiido- Bcthesda (evidently the valley separating Acra and IJezetha) ; and this will give one horn of tlie '■ crescent- shape" attributed by him to the Upper City, including the Temple in the middle, and Ophel as the other horn. We should therefore indicate for the line of the rest of this wall a ver\' slight outward curve from near Her- od's Gate to about the middle of the northern side of the mosque area.
(5.) The only remaining gate expressly referred to as lying in this wall is the Fisli-gute, which stood not verj' far from the junction with xVntonia (Neh. iii, 1, 3, 6 ; xii, 39; comp. 2 Chron. xxxiii, 14; Zeph. i, 10).
(6.) The Tower Antonia, at which wc thus arrive, was situated (according to Josephus, Wa?; v, 5, 8) at the comer of the Temple court where the northern and western cloisters met. This shows that it did not cov- er the whole of the platform north of the Temple, but only had "courts and broad spaces" occupying this en- tire area, with a tower at each of the four corners (ibid.). Of these latter the proper Antonia seems to have been one, and they were all doubtless connected by porticoes and passages. They were all on a precipitous rock, fifty cubits high, the proper tower Antonia being forty cubits above this, the south-eastern tower seventy, and the oth- ers fifty cubits (ibid.). It was originally built by the Asmontean princes for the safe keeping of the high- priest's vestments, and called by them Baris (ibid., A nf. XV, 11, 4). It was "the castle" into which Paul was taken from the mob (Acts xxi, 34, 37). See Astoxia.
(7.) That one of these four towers which occupied the north-east corner of the court of Antonia we are in- clined to identify with the ancient Tover of Hananeel, between the tower of IMeah and the Fish-gate (Neh. iii, 1, 3 ; xii, 39), and at the most north-eastern point of the city (Jer. xxxi, 38, compared with Zech. xiv, 10).
(8.) The south-east one of these towers, again, we take to be the ancient Tou-er of Meafi, rd'crrcd to in the above passages of Nehemiah.
Pierotti has found a subterraneous passage extending from the Golden-gate in a north-westerly direction (./(- riisalem Fxploi-ed, i, G4). He could not trace it com- pletely; only in two unconnected fragments, one 130 feet long, and another 1 50 feet. This may be the se- cret passage (Kpv-T>) ("ic'ipiit) which Herod excavated from Antonia to the eastern gate, where he raised a tower, from which he might watch any seditious move- ment of the people ; thus establishing a private commu-
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nication vrith Antonia, through which he might pour soldiers into the heart of the Temple area as need re- quired (Josephus, Anf. xv, 11,7).