This wall was built in the late-8th century BCE on orders from the Judean king Hezekiah. It was built hurriedly in preparation for the invasion of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib. The wall surrounded the settlement area that had expanded to occupy the western hill of Jerusalem, outside the original "City of David." The measuring stick affixed to the building at right indicates the likely height of the original wall. This portion of the fortification was uncovered accidentally during the 1980's. Prior to that time historians often doubted the existence of the wall, discounting the account of its construction in the Book of Chronicles. The find was one of a string of recent finds confirming the broad outlines of the biblical narratives surrounding the city of Jerusalem.