The length of the Amma section is about 300 meters, and it was uncovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority before the expansion of the neighborhood, funded by the "Arim" company for urban development and in the framework of the establishment of schools on the site at the initiative of the Jerusalem Municipality * Among other things, a coin from the second period of the great revolt of the Jews against the Romans was found in the Amma infrastructure - A few years before the destruction of the Second Temple
The longest section of the ancient upper aqueduct of Jerusalem was recently uncovered in archaeological excavations on the edge of the Givat HaMatus neighborhood. The excavations are managed by the Antiquities Authority as part of the expansion of the neighborhood, on behalf of the "Arim" company for urban development, in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality. The excavations revealed about 300 continuous meters from the upper aqueduct, which led water to the upper city of Jerusalem, which contained Herod's palace and the houses of the city's tenth and most important people about 2000 years ago.
"At the end of the days of the Second Temple, the city of Jerusalem grew significantly; the Temple was rebuilt and the water that flowed from Gihon and the cisterns was no longer enough for the thousands of pilgrims and residents, and water had to be brought to the city from far away," they say Dr. Ofer Shion and Rotem Cohen, the dig managers on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. "On this background, the Hasmoneans and King Herod built two elaborate water aqueducts for Jerusalem, which were among the largest and most complex waterworks in the Land of Israel - and in general, in the ancient world. The aqueducts concentrated spring water in the Bethlehem area, and with the help of huge pools, physical laws (the Law of Combined Vessels, the Siphon , gravity), using topography and extraordinary ingenuity, flowed the water for tens of kilometers (!) in aggregate. The aqueduct known as the "upper aqueduct" flowed water to the upper city (today's Jewish and Armenian quarter), and the one known as the "lower aqueduct", led water directly to the temple.
The upper arm, a section of which is now exposed for hundreds of meters, continued to be used even after the destruction of Jerusalem, in 70 AD. The tenth legion, the destroyer of the temple, established itself in the upper city and camped there. "Even with the establishment of the pagan city "Ilia Capitolina" the tenth legion continued to make use of its sophisticated mother
the existing He made extensive renovations in it, and raised the ancient level by half a meter," say Dr. Shion and Cohen. "I believe that in the foundations of the Amma from the days of the tenth legion, we found about 25 coins, scattered at relatively equal distances. In our opinion, this is not a coincidence: just like the practice today, the coins were placed there for good luck."
Among other things, the foundation of the Amet Lehion also contained a coin from the second period of the Great Revolt of the Jewish War against the Romans, from 67-68 CE. The researchers believe that the builders of the Amet Lehion deliberately incorporated this coin into the foundations of the forearm when they placed the foundation in plaster.
"The uncovering of the longest continuous section of the upper aqueduct now, and the finding of the 25 coins, will allow - perhaps, for the first time, a complete dating of the various stages of the construction of the aqueducts of Jerusalem - and perhaps even shed light on the question - who was the first builder of the aqueduct - were they the Hasmoneans Or maybe King Herod," the researchers say.
The section of the upper forearm that is being exposed these days was buried under tons of modern soil waste. The forearm wound along a comfortable and moderate topographic route, and so far, three distinct stages are visible in it: the lower two - from the days of the Second Temple period, and the upper stage - from the days of the Roman legion, whose camp, as mentioned, was in the upper city. The quality of the construction in the place is high, the plaster is well smoothed and the sides are raised. in some cases. Sometimes the fort was built, where the earlier stages were destroyed, on foundations to a height of 3 m.
According to Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority, "The aqueducts to Jerusalem tell the story of the city. Their construction required huge budgets, great engineering knowledge and daily operation. They bear witness to the glory days of the Temple, to the destruction of the city and its construction after the destruction of the Temple and in the days of Ilia Capitolina - as an idol city. In light of the importance of the discovery , which has not been preserved in other places for such a long time, in cooperation with the Municipality of Jerusalem and the "Arim" company, we hope that it will be possible to preserve it and present it for the welfare of the public".
Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon: "Jerusalem is the city whose past and future are intertwined. The Municipality of Jerusalem is happy to discover that during the construction of three schools in Givat HaMatus, which will contribute to the education of the future generation, we received a greeting from the past - a watercourse from the time of the Second Temple. The momentum of development that will contribute to the future of Jerusalem It also requires the preservation of its glorious past. Therefore, we agreed with the Antiquities Authority that the planning will be done in full coordination and with complete consideration of preservation The aqueduct that will be integrated into the project. This is a planning issue, and we see the importance of providing good planning measures that will allow the preservation of the aqueduct, with access to the general public. The ancient aqueduct was an infrastructure project that served the residents of ancient Jerusalem, I am sure that they would have seen the tremendous development of the city in the years The last ones, they were very proud."
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