A massive dam has just been uncovered in Jerusalem’s City of David, where excavators from the Israel Antiquities Authority used carbon dating to determine that it dates back 2,800 years—during the reign of Kings Joash and Amaziah.
The location, materials, and evidence collected from this ancient structure are revealing the lifestyle and basic needs of Jerusalemites in 800 BCE, as the dam was part of the Siloam Pool. The Siloam Pool, Jerusalem’s lowest point and largest water reserve, collected rainwater from across the city and the Gihon Spring. Archaeologists discovered that the dam was strategically built to prevent water from trickling down to the Dead Sea, preserving resources during challenging climates.
The dating of the dam provides tangible evidence of the strength of the Kingdom of Judah during this period. Unique in size, the dam stands over 11 meters high. According to archaeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority, no other dam from this time period comes close to matching the scale of the Siloam Pool dam.
ANCIENT DAM REVEALED
Remarkably, 2,800 years ago, Jews living in Jerusalem devised sophisticated engineering and creative solutions to confront a severe climate challenge. The combination of exact sciences with archaeological research sheds new and indisputable light on the nation’s history during the First Temple period.