Descending from the ticket office to this archaeological site demonstrates how many layers have been added to the city over the centuries – the remains of the three palatial Herodian-era villas on display are 3m below the present-day street. Built on the slope of a hill facing Temple Mount (possibly for priests and their families), the villas were destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The site includes remnants of ritual baths, frescos, bathrooms, cisterns and coloured mosaic floors.
