Golgotha, Jerusalem

It might seem self-evident to some, but for as long as I’ve lived this life, I presumed that Golgotha was so named because of the skeletons of those who were crucified, but not buried. A visit to Jerusalem would have corrected my thinking.

In the standard Koine Greek texts of the New Testament, the relevant terms appear as Golgothâ (Γολγοθᾶ),Golgathân (Γολγοθᾶν),kraníou tópos (κρανίου τόπος),Kraníou tópos (Κρανίου τόπος),Kraníon (Κρανίον), and Kraníou tópon (Κρανίου τόπον). Golgotha’s Hebrew equivalent would be Gulgōleṯ (גֻּלְגֹּלֶת, “skull”), ultimately from the verb galal (גלל) meaning “to roll”. The form preserved in the Greek text, however, is actually closer to Aramaic Golgolta, which also appears in reference to a head count in the Samaritan version of Numbers 1:18, although the term is traditionally considered to derive from Syriac Gāgūlṯā (ܓܓܘܠܬܐ) instead. Although Latin calvaria can mean either “a skull” or “the skull” depending on context and numerous English translations render the relevant passages “place of the skull” or “Place of the Skull”, the Greek forms of the name grammatically refer to the place of a skull and a place named Skull. (The Greek word κρᾱνῐ́ον does more specifically mean the cranium, the upper part of the skull, but it has been used metonymously since antiquity to refer to skulls and heads more generally.)

Wikipedia

Each Gospel writer refers to the place where Jesus was crucified as Golgotha (in the King James Version), and yet in my mind, this was just a place somewhere outside the city of Jerusalem’s walls.

The image of a skull is clear, if you know what you’re looking for.

This older image which I captured from a YouTube video, yesterday, may make the spot look clearer.

Crucifixions would have taken place on top of the hill above the Skull. So, the Gospel story IS true.