The city, thus built at different periods, was burnt and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; but let us pass over the sad years of captivity, till we come to the time when, by the energy and zeal of Nehemiah, it rose again from its ruins. Something must be said of its aspect at that time, and especially of its gates; but I must warn the reader that, after all my labours, I have not been able thoroughly to satisfy myself about their situation, because of the difficulty of reconciling the third and twelfth with the second chapter of Nehemiah. Still, without desiring to push my opinions presumptuously forward, I offer them in hopes that they may be fortunate enough to attract the attention of competent students to this interesting point of Biblical Archæology. I know that many have already attempted to fix the position of these gates, but I am also aware that their theories are contradictory, and often rest upon hypotheses which are open to attack. The illustrious Reland has not chosen to make any positive assertions on these points, and has contented himself with a simple list of names; I will therefore follow his example[104]. The _sheep gate_[105] must have been in the west wall, that runs southwards from the castle, in which were the towers of Meah and Hananeel: the _fish gate_, nearly on the site of the present Jaffa gate: the _old gate_, in the north part of David's wall, near its junction with Solomon's: the _broad wall_, that portion of the second enclosure, which protected the west and north as far as the north-west corner of the temple area, and the _tower of the furnaces_, outside it: the _valley gate_, at the extreme south-west corner of Sion: the _dung gate_, on the south side of Sion, a thousand cubits to the east of the valley gate: the _fountain gate_, at the east extremity of the north wall of David's enclosure, and, consequently, at the middle of the Tyropoeon valley. I identify the _pool of Siloah_ with that, now filled with earth, below the fountain of Siloam, and the _king's garden_ with those still existing there. The _stairs that go down from the city of David_ begin at the south-east angle of that king's wall and extend eastwards down the slopes of Sion. The _sepulchres of David_ are upon Sion, a little to the west of that now shewn under that name. The _pool that was made_ is _Birket-es-Sultan_, outside the walls on the west. The _water gate_ is in the Tyropoeon valley, to the south of the fountain gate; the _east gate_, on the site of the present golden gate. Let the reader now examine the account[106] of the two companies which went, in opposite directions, to dedicate the new wall to the Lord.