A section of city wall that enclosed ancient Jerusalem was probably built by King Solomon in the 10th century BC, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has said.
The unearthed wall is six metres high and 70 metres long, a statement said.
"We can estimate, with a high degree of certainty, that this was built by King Solomon toward the end of the 10th century BC," archaeologist Eilat Mazar, who excavated for three months, said in the statement.
According to the Bible, Solomon built the first Jewish temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.
The latest discovery "could corroborate written descriptions which recount construction projects carried out by King Solomon in Jerusalem," the statement said.
The section of wall was discovered in the Ophel area, between the City of David and the southern part of another wall that surrounds the Temple Mount.
Also found were structures built at the same time as the section of wall, including a gatehouse accessing the royal district and a tower overlooking the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the statement said.
Pottery shards and the remains of two earthenware jars measuring 1.15 metres (3.8 feet) tall were also found, the statement said. One jar handle bore the inscription "For the King."
All that remains of the Temple Mount, Judaism's most sacred site, is the temple's Western or Wailing Wall, the principal Jewish place of pilgrimage.
The holy site in east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed unilaterally after capturing the Arab sector of the city in 1967, houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, and is the third holiest site in the Islamic world.
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