We went with the students on a field trip to the City of David and Hezekiah's Tunnel. The bottom part of the wall is from the time of King David. It was used as a retaining wall.
The step stone structure was here when King David captured the Jebusite City.
An ancient toilet seat. Who knows?
Four room house typical Israelite dwellings. It had three spaces and was closed off by a fourth. The roof beams were supported by pillars, part of which can be seen here.
Looking from the City of David across the Kidron Valley into the city of Silwan. The caves below Silwan are thought to have been used as burial caves. 50 burial caves that were part of the cemetery of Jerusalem during the First Temple period served generations of aristocratic families.
Jeff Chadwick standing in front of the eastern wall of the ancient city.
It is built of field stones and entrenched in bedrock from the 8th century BC. The wall was restored perhaps by King Hezekiah while preparing the city for attack from Assyrians.
We went into Hezekiah's tunnel which was a subterranean water system. The Gihon Spring was Jerusalem's main water source from the cities earliest days. The springs location near the bottom of the eastern slope forced the city's builders to leave it outside the city and create a protected passage to the water source.
Going down the passage to Hezekiah's tunnel.
A mural depicting how the people would have walked to the Gihon Springs.
Jeff Chadwick in front of mural depicting the layout of the Gihon spring and Hezekiah's tunnel. Notice the wall was extended to encase the spring.
Linda entering Hezekiah's tunnel.
Linda and Blaine inside the tunnel
At points it was very narrow.
Then we walked through the drainage system or sewer tunnel.
At the end of the tour, there was a group excavating the Givati Parking lot, the largest archeological dig in the city. It is believed to be a palace of Queen Helene a convert to Judaism during the 2nd Temple period.
These were great pictures of the tunnel and such cute people in it :)
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