Mysterious 2,800-Year-Old Channel Installation Discovered In The City Of David, Jerusalem

Jan Bartek – MessageToEagle.com – Scientists are trying to solve an ancient Jerusalem mystery.

What was the function of the Channel Installation discovered in the City of David National Park, dating to the days of Kings Joash and Amaziah?

Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

An ancient channel installation, the first of its kind ever discovered in Israel, was in use around 2,800 years ago – during the First Temple period. Investigators from the police forensic unit joined to solve the mystery, but so far – to no avail.

According to researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, “The channels were likely used to soak some type of product. Their central location indicates that the product was connected to the Palace or Temple economy”.

The excavation findings will be open for public viewing during the 24th City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem conference to be held next week.

Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

What was this obscure product that was important to the economy of the city, Temple or Palace during the times of the ancient Judean Kings? Unique and large-scale production installations carved out of the rock and dating to the 9th Century BCE were unearthed in excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the City of David National Park, funded by the Elad Foundation.

The purpose of the installation is still unclear, but their uniqueness and location near the Temple and the Palace suggest that their products were integrated into the economy of these prominent institutions.

Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

The excavation thus far has uncovered two installations about 10 meters apart, which may have composed one large installation. Such structures have not been found anywhere else in Israel, hence their uniqueness.

The excavators found the first installation at the northeastern end of the Givati Parking Lot excavation, which includes a series of at least nine channels that were smoothed. On top of the rock cliff that encloses the installation to the south can be found seven drain pipes, which carried liquid from the top of the cliff, which served as an activity area, to the channel installation.

Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

Dr. Yiftah Shalev, a senior researcher at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “We looked at the installation and realized that we had stumbled on something unique, but since we had never seen a structure like this in Israel, we didn’t know how to interpret it. Even its date was unclear.

We brought a number of experts to the site to see if there were any residues in the soil or rock that are not visible to the naked eye, and to help us understand what flowed or stood in the channels. We wanted to check whether there were any organic remains or traces of blood, so we even recruited the help of the police forensic unit and its research colleagues around the world, but so far – to no avail.”

“The mystery only grew deeper when we found the second installation to the south,” says Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University’s Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations Department.

“This installation consists of at least five channels that transport liquids.
“Despite some differences in the way the channels were hewn and designed, it is evident that the second installation is very similar to the first, “Gadot adds.

“This time, we also managed to date when the facility fell out of use – at the end of the 9th Century BCE, during the days of the biblical kings of Judah – Joash and Amaziah. We assume that the two installations, which, as mentioned, may have been used in unison, were constructed several decades earlier.”