Was there any arching to the beams across their spans?
In other words, was their any curvature the the vaulting distributing the loads, or was it somewhat linear?
I take it we don’t have photos of these spaces.
Nevermind. It’s amazing what a click can solve. *hides*
It’s all vaulting.
They were handling the load of the entire Temple Structure, as written in the Bible and Josephus. I was astounded, and no, they weren’t arched, but sitting side by side (much like someone’s patio was constructed, except instead of 2x6s, they were 3’x10’ and at least twenty feet long before they extended to the North under the Temple Mount. I was not allowed to examine them up close and personal, however, so mine is just an observation and not verified.