Learn about a real home dating to the first and second temple. Artifacts are also on display and part of the movie setting and staging. Good for all ages.
The Burnt House (Katros House)
Following the Six Day War, Israeli archaeologists began digging extensively in the newly recaptured Jewish Quarter of the Old City, uncovering many invaluable discoveries. One of the most impressive of these, the Burnt House, was found under a cloak of ash, six meters below street level. Artifacts found at the site indicate that the house belonged to an upper-class Jewish family and was set alight when the armies of Titus stormed Jerusalem in 70 CE as a reprisal for Jewish resistance.
Besides the house itself, visitors can browse a collection of artifacts dating from the Second Temple period including a stone weight inscribed with the name of the family that used to live in the house – Katros. The Burnt House screens a film (available in both Hebrew and English) that dramatizes the waning days of the Katros family, holed into the house as the Romans close in. The film affords visitors the chance to learn about the revolt against the Romans and the political strife that divided Judea’s Jewish community in the years leading up to the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple.
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 60 traveler reviews“A museum from the first century”
The Burnt House Museum lies a bit hidden in Tif'eret Street in a busy part of the Jewish Quarter. I hadn't expected to stumble across it but do not regret visiting it because it was interesting. In the first century the house was built opposite the Second Temple, which the family could probably see...
MoreThe Burnt House Museum lies a bit hidden in Tif'eret Street in a busy part of the Jewish Quarter. I hadn't expected to stumble across it but do not regret visiting it because it was interesting. In the first century the house was built opposite the Second Temple, which the family could probably see quite well from their home. They are supposed to have belonged to the aristocracy of priests. I read that the name Qathros is even mentioned in the Talmud. They were wealthy and important. That is why we can visit their house today. When the Romans destroyed and burnt down the Temple this house caught fire, too, and its wooden roof came down. Half an arm of a young woman was found in the ruins. The exhibition shows various objects of everyday usage. Most illustrative is a film about the family and its life and problems before around 70 AD.
Less“Wonderful Movie”
“Not interesting enough......”
A poor attempt at bringing archaeology alive. The only interesting items are the bowls and other domestic artifacts that were found. The film is poorly produced, full of conjecture and badly acted. I found it patronizing as I’m sure many tourists would believe.