Editing Calvary (section)

===Rockface===
[[File:Golgotha Stone Chapel of Adam.jpg|thumb|Natural stone of Golgotha in the Chapel of Adam below site]]

During 1973–1978 restoration works and excavations inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and under the nearby [[Muristan]], it was found that the area was originally a quarry, from which white Meleke [[limestone]] was struck;<ref name="Hesemann170">{{Cite book|title=Die Jesus-Tafel|last=Hesemann|first=Michael|publisher=Freiburg|year=1999|isbn=3-451-27092-7|page=170|language=de|author-link=Michael Hesemann}}</ref> surviving parts of the quarry to the north-east of the chapel of St. Helena are now accessible from within the chapel (by permission). Inside the church is a rock, about 7&nbsp;m long by 3&nbsp;m wide by 4.8&nbsp;m high,<ref name="Hesemann170"/> that is traditionally believed to be all that now remains visible of ''Golgotha''; the design of the church means that the ''Calvary Chapel'' contains the upper foot or so of the rock, while the remainder is in the chapel beneath it (known as the ''tomb of Adam''). [[Virgilio Canio Corbo|Virgilio Corbo]], a [[Franciscan]] priest and archaeologist, present at the excavations, suggested that from the city the little hill (which still exists) could have looked like a skull.<ref name="HesemannHill">Hesemann 1999, p. 170: "Von der Stadt aus muß er tatsächlich wie eine Schädelkuppe ausgesehen haben," and p. 190: a sketch; and p. 172: a sketch of the geological findings by C. Katsimbinis, 1976: "der Felsblock ist zu 1/8 unterhalb des Kirchenbodens, verbreitert sich dort auf etwa 6,40 Meter und verläuft weiter in die Tiefe"; and p. 192, a sketch by Corbo, 1980: Golgotha is distant 10 meters outside from the southwest corner of the Martyrion-basilica</ref>

During a 1986 repair to the floor of the ''Calvary Chapel'' by the art historian George Lavas and architect Theo Mitropoulos, a round slot of {{convert|11.5|cm|1|abbr=on}} diameter was discovered in the rock, partly open on one side (Lavas attributes the open side to accidental damage during his repairs);<ref name="Lavas">George Lavas, ''The Rock of Calvary'', published (1996) in ''The Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art'' (proceedings of the 5th International Seminar in Jewish Art), pp. 147–150</ref> although the dating of the slot is uncertain, and could date to Hadrian's temple of Aphrodite, Lavas suggested that it could have been the site of the crucifixion, as it would be strong enough to hold in place a wooden trunk of up to {{convert|2.5|m}} in height (among other things).<ref>Hesemann 1999, pp. 171–172: "....Georg Lavas and ... Theo Mitropoulos, ... cleaned off a thick layer of rubble and building material from one to 45<!--sic!--> cm thick that covered the actual limestone. The experts still argue whether this was the work of the architects of Hadrian, who aimed thereby to adapt the rock better to the temple plan, or whether it comes from 7th century cleaning....When the restorers progressed to the lime layer and the actual rock....they found they had removed <!--sic--> a circular slot of 11.5&nbsp;cm diameter".</ref><ref>Vatican-magazin.com, Vatican 3/2007, pp. 12/13; [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717185434/http://www.vatican-magazin.com/archiv/2007/03-2007/titel.pdf Vatican 3/2007, p. 11, here p. 3 photo No. 4, quite right], photo by Paul Badde: der steinere Ring auf dem Golgothafelsen.<!--see also here page 4 (=Vatican 3/2007, pp.12-13): "Dr. Mitropoulos: Als wir den Gipfel des Golgatha freilegten ... hatte den Ort schon seit achthundert Jahren kein Auge mehr gesehen; er war ganz mit Schutt bedeckt und darüber mit Marmor. ... und zeigte auf einen zerbrochenen steinernen Ring in einer Mulde des Felsblocks aus aschgrauem Kalkstein"--></ref> The same restoration work also revealed a crack running across the surface of the rock, which continues down to the ''Chapel of Adam'';<ref name="Lavas"/> the crack is thought by archaeologists to have been a result of the quarry workmen encountering a flaw in the rock.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Based on the late 20th century excavations of the site, there have been a number of attempted reconstructions of the profile of the cliff face. These often attempt to show the site as it would have appeared to Constantine. However, as the ground level in Roman times was about {{convert|4|–|5|ft}} lower and the site housed Hadrian's temple to Aphrodite, much of the surrounding rocky slope must have been removed long before Constantine built the church on the site. The height of the ''Golgotha'' rock itself would have caused it to jut through the platform level of the Aphrodite temple, where it would be clearly visible. The reason for Hadrian not cutting the rock down is uncertain, but Virgilio Corbo suggested that a statue, probably of Aphrodite, was placed on it,<ref>Virgilio Corbo, ''The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem'' (1981)</ref> a suggestion also made by [[Jerome]]. Some archaeologists have suggested that prior to Hadrian's use, the rock outcrop had been a ''nefesh'' – a Jewish funeral monument, equivalent to the [[stele]].<ref>Dan Bahat, ''Does the Holy Sepulchre Church Mark the Burial of Jesus?'', in ''[[Biblical Archaeology Review]]'' May/June 1986</ref>