Analysis of the layers of plaster in the walls of the pools only confirmed this assessment. The Pools were first built by the Romans in the second century. A period of major reinforcement took place in the early middle ages, after an earthquake had rendered them unusable. A restoration and enlargement program, likely conducted under the auspices of Suleiman the Magnificent, took place in the 16th century. A final phase, begun by the British military in the early twentieth century, rounded out the evidence.I was not aware that there were any current claims that the Pools of Solomon actually went back to the time of Solomon. Such claims do not sound credible. Discussion that I have seen of the site (here and links) dated the Pools to the late Second Temple period, from the Maccabean to the Herodian eras. The current evidence seems to indicate that they were built by the Roman army during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
I'm not going to go into the political implications, but you can read one take on them in the article.
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