08/27/2024
A new excavation of the drainage channel beneath Jerusalem’s main street from the Second Temple period is a time capsule into life in the days before the city was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
This channel, which served as Jerusalem’s primary subterranean artery, ran beneath various structures, including the bustling markets at the foot of the Temple Mount and along the entire length of the City of David, which is located in the southern part of the city.
Among the finds, are gr**e seeds, 2,000-year-old eggshells, and intact ceramic lamps still bearing traces of soot. But also signs of great wealth in the city, with beautiful and elaborate intact vessels found, including ceramic perfume and oil vials.
Oil lamps found had particular Jewish religious significance. These oil lamps dated to the Second Temple period, generally used during Jesus' time but also in 70 A.D., are called the "Herodian" or "Scr**ed Oil lamps." This style of lamp was widely used by Jews and pagans in the Holy Land during the 1st century A.D. They were made of pottery and devoid of figurative designs to comply with the Old Testament's prohibition against depicting animals or humans.
Dr. Ayala Zilberstein, the excavation director, said, “Into the channel’s mouth were swept the detritus of life above Jerusalem's main street; where they remained preserved between the walls just as they were at the moment of the city’s destruction. Small finds tell us a big story, from Jerusalem’s heyday of prosperity and splendor when its streets bustled with life, until the city’s ebbing moments during the rebellion against the Romans, and its total abandonment following the Temple and city’s destruction."
She added, "Through this large variety of pots and dishes that accumulated in the drainage channel, we encounter nearly the complete tableware set of Jerusalem’s residents. In contrast to the limited set of vessels generally found when excavating a single household kitchen, the channel assemblage is drawn from many houses, and from different streets in town, thus presenting us with examples of almost all wares the city’s merchants had to offer."
After the city was destroyed, it was neglected for centuries: "Since most of these municipal channels were maintained and cleared regularly, to find layers of silt in the main drainage channel filling it to almost half its height, indicates a gradual neglect of city maintenance. And indeed, this very neglect and abandonment that we are now witness to here corresponds to the story of the process of Jerusalem’s destruction.”
The finds remind us of how the people living in Jerusalem in 70 AD were living, breathing people just like us. And of the tragedy they suffered due to Roman cruelty.
