grinner
06-26-2004, 07:59 PM
History unearthed
Marion Fischel Jun. 24, 2004
An archeological discovery sheds light on the Second Temple-period water system
Earlier this month archeologists explored an area of the City of David that had lain untouched for more than 2,000 years.
What is thought to be the Pool of Siloam, discovered when archeologists decided to check the site before the municipality launched infrastructure work in the area, dates back to the Second Temple period.
"One of the supporting walls of the pool was the southernmost wall of the city," says Jerusalem regional archeologist John Seligman, who is working on the excavation. "The wall acted as both a dam and a fortification. The pool was actually a reservoir where the waters of the Gihon Spring were collected for the city. It is a very important find because it helps form our understanding of the water system of Jerusalem in ancient times."
Seligman works alongside archeologist Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority who, together with Prof. Ronny Reich of Haifa University, has been exploring the area since 1995. Pursuing a gut feeling that there was an interesting discovery to be made, Shukrun and his colleagues set to work brushing away the dirt for several hours, until Shukrun discovered they were working on a step.
"We knew that the Siloam Pool from the Second Temple period was located in this area, we just didn't know where it was exactly," he says, pointing to a map in Dan Bar's Jerusalem Encyclopedia that shows the City of David with the supposed area of the Siloam Pool. Although the shape of the pool in the drawing is different from that of the actual discovery, the general area of the location correlates.
Until now, another pool from the Byzantine era (adjacent to the Byzantine Church), discovered by archeologist Blis Vediki at the end of the 19th century, was known as the Siloam Pool.
Shukrun claims his recent discovery is the Second Temple-era Pool of Siloam, mentioned twice in the Torah, both in Nehemia 3:15 ("Pool of Shelah") and in Isaiah 8:6 ("waters of Shiloah"). It is also referred to in the New Testament, in John 9:7 ("Pool of Siloam"). By comparing Nehemiah 3:15 and 12:37, it is clear that the "Pool of Shelah," the stairs that descend from the City of David at the southern part of the Temple Mount, and the king's garden were all near each other. Judeo-Roman historian Josephus Flavius also makes frequent mention of Siloam in The Jewish Wars.
The Gihon Spring, also known as the Shiloah, was the source that filled both the Pool of Siloam at the time of the Second Temple and the Byzantine pool.
"We have yet to discover how the water reached the [older] pool," says Shukrun. "We have the Hezekiah Tunnel, we have the pool. When we have made further excavations we will have answers."
The section of the pool so far unveiled contains nine steps and is approximately 10m. by 6m., suggesting that this part of the pool was used as a mikve.
The City of David, 2,500m. above sea level, has always drawn its water from the Gihon Spring, the only freshwater spring in the immediate vicinity. The spring collects rain that falls on the Judean Hills and seeps through porous limestone, then gushes out at regular intervals several times a day. Due to the turbulent nature of ancient times, it was important to ensure that in case of siege, Jerusalem's residents would continue to have access to fresh water, while denying it from the enemy.
Since the spring rose outside the city walls on the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley, a long passage was excavated under the rock, causing the overflow to be channeled into the city. At the same time, the spring itself was sealed with masonry.
The Pool of Siloam was once fed by a conduit cut through solid rock that starts at the Gihon Spring. The conduit is recognized as both the Hezekiah Tunnel and the Siloam Tunnel.
In his book The Future of Palestine, Major C.R. Conder (1848-1910) writes that this conduit was explored by Dr. Edward Robinson (Robinson's Arch, discovered in 1838), Sir Charles Wilson (Wilson's Arch, discovered in 1848 ), and Sir Charles Warren (Warren's Shaft, discovered in 1867).
An inscription in the rock, close to the mouth of the tunnel (discovered by a boy in 1880), records its construction. It began on both ends simultaneously and the workmen were guided by the sounds of the other party's picks as they advanced. They broke through only a few meters apart.
The style of the inscription suggests that it was etched by scribes accustomed to writing on papyrus or parchment.
Radiometric tests of the Siloam Tunnel, carried out in September 2003 by researchers from the Hebrew University, the Israel Geological Survey, and UK-based Reading University, have confirmed that it dates back to around 700 BCE. A biblical account credits its construction to King Hezekiah.
In fact, history shows that in 701 BCE, in preparation for a potentially disastrous siege by Assyrian King Sennaherib, Hezekiah decided to bring the Gihon's waters into the city.
Many discoveries have been made in the 14 areas of the City of David that have been explored since 1995 under the direction of Shukrun and Reich, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. Discoveries include artifacts dating to the Second Temple period and the Hasmonean Dynasty.
Sarah Katz, 20, an anthropology major from Washington University in St. Louis, is currently part of the excavation team at the City of David.
"It is very exciting," she says. "Every day when I walk to work, I feel like I am walking back in time, as the stories from the Torah come alive for me. Right over there by the Gihon Spring is where Solomon was anointed king. Sometimes, when I am washing pottery from the Second Temple period, I look down at my hand and I feel this experience is specific to me. It is how we can recognize the birthright of the Jews to the Promised Land."link (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1088046779792)
Marion Fischel Jun. 24, 2004
An archeological discovery sheds light on the Second Temple-period water system
Earlier this month archeologists explored an area of the City of David that had lain untouched for more than 2,000 years.
What is thought to be the Pool of Siloam, discovered when archeologists decided to check the site before the municipality launched infrastructure work in the area, dates back to the Second Temple period.
"One of the supporting walls of the pool was the southernmost wall of the city," says Jerusalem regional archeologist John Seligman, who is working on the excavation. "The wall acted as both a dam and a fortification. The pool was actually a reservoir where the waters of the Gihon Spring were collected for the city. It is a very important find because it helps form our understanding of the water system of Jerusalem in ancient times."
Seligman works alongside archeologist Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority who, together with Prof. Ronny Reich of Haifa University, has been exploring the area since 1995. Pursuing a gut feeling that there was an interesting discovery to be made, Shukrun and his colleagues set to work brushing away the dirt for several hours, until Shukrun discovered they were working on a step.
"We knew that the Siloam Pool from the Second Temple period was located in this area, we just didn't know where it was exactly," he says, pointing to a map in Dan Bar's Jerusalem Encyclopedia that shows the City of David with the supposed area of the Siloam Pool. Although the shape of the pool in the drawing is different from that of the actual discovery, the general area of the location correlates.
Until now, another pool from the Byzantine era (adjacent to the Byzantine Church), discovered by archeologist Blis Vediki at the end of the 19th century, was known as the Siloam Pool.
Shukrun claims his recent discovery is the Second Temple-era Pool of Siloam, mentioned twice in the Torah, both in Nehemia 3:15 ("Pool of Shelah") and in Isaiah 8:6 ("waters of Shiloah"). It is also referred to in the New Testament, in John 9:7 ("Pool of Siloam"). By comparing Nehemiah 3:15 and 12:37, it is clear that the "Pool of Shelah," the stairs that descend from the City of David at the southern part of the Temple Mount, and the king's garden were all near each other. Judeo-Roman historian Josephus Flavius also makes frequent mention of Siloam in The Jewish Wars.
The Gihon Spring, also known as the Shiloah, was the source that filled both the Pool of Siloam at the time of the Second Temple and the Byzantine pool.
"We have yet to discover how the water reached the [older] pool," says Shukrun. "We have the Hezekiah Tunnel, we have the pool. When we have made further excavations we will have answers."
The section of the pool so far unveiled contains nine steps and is approximately 10m. by 6m., suggesting that this part of the pool was used as a mikve.
The City of David, 2,500m. above sea level, has always drawn its water from the Gihon Spring, the only freshwater spring in the immediate vicinity. The spring collects rain that falls on the Judean Hills and seeps through porous limestone, then gushes out at regular intervals several times a day. Due to the turbulent nature of ancient times, it was important to ensure that in case of siege, Jerusalem's residents would continue to have access to fresh water, while denying it from the enemy.
Since the spring rose outside the city walls on the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley, a long passage was excavated under the rock, causing the overflow to be channeled into the city. At the same time, the spring itself was sealed with masonry.
The Pool of Siloam was once fed by a conduit cut through solid rock that starts at the Gihon Spring. The conduit is recognized as both the Hezekiah Tunnel and the Siloam Tunnel.
In his book The Future of Palestine, Major C.R. Conder (1848-1910) writes that this conduit was explored by Dr. Edward Robinson (Robinson's Arch, discovered in 1838), Sir Charles Wilson (Wilson's Arch, discovered in 1848 ), and Sir Charles Warren (Warren's Shaft, discovered in 1867).
An inscription in the rock, close to the mouth of the tunnel (discovered by a boy in 1880), records its construction. It began on both ends simultaneously and the workmen were guided by the sounds of the other party's picks as they advanced. They broke through only a few meters apart.
The style of the inscription suggests that it was etched by scribes accustomed to writing on papyrus or parchment.
Radiometric tests of the Siloam Tunnel, carried out in September 2003 by researchers from the Hebrew University, the Israel Geological Survey, and UK-based Reading University, have confirmed that it dates back to around 700 BCE. A biblical account credits its construction to King Hezekiah.
In fact, history shows that in 701 BCE, in preparation for a potentially disastrous siege by Assyrian King Sennaherib, Hezekiah decided to bring the Gihon's waters into the city.
Many discoveries have been made in the 14 areas of the City of David that have been explored since 1995 under the direction of Shukrun and Reich, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. Discoveries include artifacts dating to the Second Temple period and the Hasmonean Dynasty.
Sarah Katz, 20, an anthropology major from Washington University in St. Louis, is currently part of the excavation team at the City of David.
"It is very exciting," she says. "Every day when I walk to work, I feel like I am walking back in time, as the stories from the Torah come alive for me. Right over there by the Gihon Spring is where Solomon was anointed king. Sometimes, when I am washing pottery from the Second Temple period, I look down at my hand and I feel this experience is specific to me. It is how we can recognize the birthright of the Jews to the Promised Land."link (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1088046779792)