i'm wondering if simon might have both occupied it then later razed it once he no longer felt it useful as it would have been inside other fortifications if ben dov has identified the correct foundations then it does seem to have been razed during that general period overbuilt with a residential quarter in the hasmonean period which was later leveled by herod for construction of the street and plaza in front of the new temple platform extension but whether leveled by simon or afterwards i haven't seen any published finds narrowing the destruction date beyond latter half of the nd century bce the second temple period article has been sitting on my watch list for some time as i had been thinking of contributing to it myself i was very relieved to see you contributing a good number of edits to it as i haven't had time talk