Jerusalem tunnel contains 2,000-year-old sword, pots and coins
11th August 2011
The tunnel was built two millennia ago underneath one of Roman-era Jerusalem’s main streets, which today largely lies under an Arab neighbourhood in the city’s eastern sector.
After a four-year excavation, the tunnel is part of a growing network of subterranean passages under the politically combustible modern city.
August 11th, 2011 at 09:49
I find it interesting that everything found in Jerusalem dates either to the revolt of 70 or the Solomonic era. It’s like the rest of the millenia didn’t happen. I’m reminded of a cartoon where a man is watching the Hisory Channel and decides that the only two things that ever happened were ancient Egypt and WWII.
Much of what is commonly “known” about the archeology of Jerusalem is erroneous, stemming from the preconceptions of those who report on the findings, and in some cases, those who make them. It is conveniently forgotton–or was never known–by the reporters that Hadrian reconfigured the entire city in the 2nd century as a Roman colony. The Byzantines, Ummayads, and Ottomans also made significant changes during their tenure.
This, however, never seems to dampen the enthusiasm for labeling everything as being from either the Davidic, First Temple, or Second Temple eras. Ah, well; such is faith.
I would dearly love at some point in my life to visit Jerusalem and see the archeological sights, if only to form my own opinion on such matters.
August 11th, 2011 at 11:59
If public works projects in ancient times resembled modern public works – and I suspect they did – then it’s not surprising that a drainage construction spanned many important eras. I-45 south of Houston started construction during the Eisenhower Administration and has never been deemed “complete”.
So when the History Channel wants to make something interesting, they can say, “This project was being worked on during the reign of Solomon.” and they’re probably right. There may have been 100 kings between start and finish. In fact they probably found the thing when someone noticed a line of ancient, fluorescent orange cones and the bones of a long-dead man leaning on a shovel.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:17
If it’s a sewer, my money is on the Romans. The ancient Iraelites didn’t bother much with such things.
And if you consider that an entire temple complex–as in the case of the temple to Jupiter Capitolinus which Hadrian parked on the Temple Mount approximately where the al-Aqsa mosque is today–could be built in 3-5 years, I doubt that such a drainage system took too many “administrations” to build. It all depended on which king/emperor was sitting at the time and what his priorities were.
Although it is a curious thing that everyone spent a lot of time figureing out how they got water up to the top of the temple mount to wash away the blood of the sacrifices, but nobody has cared to wonder, “Where did all that water go?” Consequently, nobody’s bothered to look for the drainage system that must have been in place. (It’s an engineering thing; logistics plays no part in faith.)
Perhaps this was part of that drainage system. Perhaps not. In any case, nobody can grab the headlines with “Ancient Ottoman cesspool found!”, so maybe you’re right.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:22
Good one about the skeleton on the shovel, BTW.
Last winter when there was a hellacious snow-storm here in Michigan, I was out blowing the driveway with my neighbor–never mind; it’s a Michigan thing–when the guy across the street started to drag out his trash because it was pickup day. I shouted, “Do you really think they’re going to make it around today?”, to which he replied, “They have big trucks. They’ll make it.” (They didn’t: score one for me.)
Then he shouted, “Don’t you guys have some snow to shovel, or something?” To which I replied, “Naw. We’re work for the county. We’re the Leaners; the guy with the shovel couldn’t make it in.” Laughter all around.