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This stone is part of the debris discovered at the Temple Mount on what I like to call "Wall Street." (See Wall Street! in the HolyLandSites Archive) It is a piece of the railing from the course of stones at the top of the southwest corner, and is called the Trumpeting Stone. The priestly trumpeter would have stood on this stone to sound the trumpet signaling the beginning and end of Sabbath days and festivals. The sharp corner that has been cut out of this block is where the priest would have stood, and the beveled edge served as a guard railing. In the top left portion of the guard rail is a Hebrew inscription, which reads in part "To the place of trumpeting."
Tradition has it that in 62 or 63 AD, James was thrown from this very spot (the pinnacle of the Temple) to the street below. Surviving the fall, he was then beaten to death.
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