Archaeologists in Jerusalem say they have discovered the remains of a large moat that once divided the city in two and protected Biblical kings from invaders. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University discovered a huge moat about 30 feet deep and at least 100 feet wide in Jerusalem Walls National Park that they say would have been a fortification that would have helped repel enemies.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) news release The moat was created by “extensive quarrying.” It would have formed “a huge channel separating the City of David from the Temple Mount and the area of Ophel.” Vertical cliffs on either side of the moat “would have made it impassable,” the IAA said.
“Although it is unclear when the moat was first dug, evidence indicates that it was in use for centuries, beginning with King Josiah, when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah some 3,000 years ago,” said Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “At that time, the moat separated the residential area in the south of the city from the ruling Acropolis in the north, where the palace and temples were located.”
The IAA said the construction work would have been a “massive and monumental undertaking” that would have altered the natural landscape to “demonstrate the power of Jerusalem’s rulers to those who passed through its gates”.
According to Shareef, the date when the trench was dug is unclear.
“Such important building projects and quarries in Jerusalem are usually dated to the Middle Bronze Age, about 3,800 years ago,” he said. “…If the moat was dug at this time, it would have been to protect the city from the north, the only weak point on the slope of the City of David. In any case, we are certain that the moat was used during the First Temple and Judah period (9th century BC) to create a clear buffer zone between the residential city to the south and the high city to the north.”
Gadot called it a “dramatic discovery” that “sparks new discussion about biblical terms for Jerusalem’s geography, such as Ophel and Millo.”
According to the IAA, ancient Jerusalem was built on a narrow, steep ridge spanning hills and valleys that divided the city into several different areas, complicating travel between the different regions.
“It is therefore not surprising that many of Jerusalem’s royal construction projects were linked to the need to reconstruct the terrain,” the IAA said. 1 Kings 11:27 As evidence of these engineering works, the verse states, “Solomon built Millo and closed up the breach in the city of David his father.”
Eli Eskseed, director general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said he is constantly amazed by what is discovered during excavations.
“Standing at the bottom of this enormous excavation site, surrounded by its enormous walls, it’s hard not to be filled with a sense of amazement and gratitude for the ancient people who literally moved mountains and hills some 3,800 years ago,” he said.
Photo credit: ©Israel Antiquities Authority
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
