The City of Jerusalem

Just as the story of King Nebuchadnezzar is closely linked with the city of Babylon, so the story of King David is inseparable from that of Jerusalem. The city, in which he installed the Ark of the Covenant, is represented as a fortress built of cut Stone (similar to Babylon in S03MS03). It is flanked on each corner by a circular tower, and has a city gate on the two broader sides of the capital. The sentry-walk is protected by a parapet with an entablature topped by crenellations. Each of the merlons is inscribed with a capital letter, which if joined together form the inscription: IHERV/ SAL/ EMSA/ NCTA (“Holy Jerusalem“).
Figures tower up behind the parapet of the battlements. On the south side a man holds up a lance in his left hand and an unidentified object in his right hand. On the north side a figure is turned to the right and points to the scene on the west side, on which two men with cloaks thrown behind their shoulders seem to be engaged in a lively discussion; the man to the right is holding a lance. On the east side, below the impost block, a man is standing on the battlements above the city gate. His backward-thrown cloak is fastened by a brooch. He seems to be giving an order. To the right his companion holds up a book, while to the left a crowned person seems to be listening to him: this could be a representation of David’s order to Solomon to build the temple. In that case the scene would be a transcription of the Second Book of Samuel (23:8-39).

inscription gate Tower battlement Jerusalem NCTA EMSA IHERV SAL David Salomon