ABSTRACT
In 37 bce, Herod, with the help of the Roman legions, captured Jerusalem from the last Hasmonean King, Antigonus II Mattathias, putting an end to his short-lived rule that was gained through the support of the Parthians. In the first century ce, Jerusalem also became the birthplace of Christianity. According to the New Testament, it was the location of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. It was in Jerusalem that, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and first began preaching the Gospel and proclaiming Christ’s resurrection. The many archaeological excavations in the city, especially since 1967, have succeeded in resolving many of the topographical questions concerning Jerusalem in this period. Jerusalem, with its location at the desert edge, suffering limited rainfall, needed to draw its water supply from the only natural perennial source of water in the vicinity: the Gihon Spring, flowing in the bed of the Kidron Valley.
