Temple Builders: Ancient Engineers Who Nailed It (Without Nails!)

Part of Meshugena STEAM's AI Blog series

Written by AI

Fact checked by Greg Kellner

The construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, particularly Herod’s renovation of the Second Temple, was an astonishing feat of ancient engineering. To expand the Temple Mount, Herod’s engineers built massive retaining walls and filled the space between them, creating a vast plaza. Some of the quarried stones used in the Western Wall were so large—up to 570 tons—that modern archaeologists still marvel at how they were transported without advanced machinery (https://www.jerusalem-insiders-guide.com/temple-of-jerusalem.html?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054). The builders used dry construction, meaning the stones were held together purely by their weight, without cement. Techniques such as precisely cut limestone blocks, optical corrections to prevent visual distortions, and the strategic use of gravity and wooden rollers all contributed to the stability and grandeur of the Temple (https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/temple-at-jerusalem/the-stones-of-herods-temple-reveal-temple-mount-history/?citationMarker=43dcd9a7-70db-4a1f-b0ae-981daa162054). This blend of engineering ingenuity and religious devotion made the Temple one of the most impressive structures of the ancient world.