The trench’s discovery at the City of David answers many questions, but poses several more, like when it was constructed and how.
Archaeologists have discovered a huge trench in the old city of Jerusalem that was carved from solid rock to protect Solomon’s Temple from attacks.
Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University say the trench, or moat, was designed to modify the natural topography of the area and demonstrate the power of Jerusalem’s rulers to those who entered its gates.
Discovered at the City of David in the Jerusalem Walls National Park, the trench is an estimated 70 metres long, at least nine meters deep and 30 meters wide. It was built from east to west as a sheer cliff, impassable to enemies, dividing the upper city, home to the Temple and royal palace, from the lower city.
“The moat separated the southern residential part of the city from the ruling acropolis in the north, the upper city where the palace and the temple were located,” said Yuval Gadot, a professor from Tel Aviv University’s Department of Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures.
“This is a dramatic discovery that opens up a renewed discussion about the terms from the biblical literature that refer to the topography of Jerusalem.”
A section of the trench was uncovered back in the 1960s by British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, but she concluded it was part of a natural valley rather than a defensive moat; only now that the rest has been uncovered can archaeologists state with certainty that the trench they’ve identified was built to fend off attacks from the ancient city’s vulnerable northern border.
The researchers say that the discovery resolves questions dating back 150 years, when researchers first tried to trace the route of Jerusalem’s northern fortification.
At the same time, it presents new questions about the building methods used to build it, and exactly when construction took place — though researchers have so far narrowed it down to some time between 2,900 and 3,800 years ago.
Originally posted at israel21c.org
