Finding Zion!

A decade of persistent effort by the El Ad foundation, The City of David and archaeologists from Israel's Antiquities Authority has produced sensational results on the eastern slope of Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. More than ever before, evidence and context have reduced events to a narrow range of comprehensible theories. Now, we are left to ponder the most perplexing question of all...

The Gihon Spring, near the Kidron Valley floor was ancient Jerusalem's only perpetual water source. It sustained Paleolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age populations who lived in proximity to the valley until around 4000-3800 years ago. In the Middle Bronze Age, commensurate with Biblical Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob populations migrated 50+ vertical meters further up the steep east facing slope to live on the mountains' ridge. For these occupants, access and secure passage of water, from the spring became crucial to successful survival. 

Mount Moriah, one rock

During the past 15 years several key discoveries have informed our knowledge of the eastern slope: 

1. Cave K 

Recent excavations identified a tightly packed, richly layered floor that should reveal information about the historical and chronological use of the cave. Work, presently underway indicates a usage spanning terminal Iron Age back to the Bronze Age. The cave was an important accommodation for occupants of the lower mountain. The cave exit/entrance, on its north-west end once connected with Passage XVIII that runs west, connecting Cave K with a rock-cut-temple around 10 vertical meters higher up the slope. 

North Entrance

Level crossing, from Cave K over the lower bedrock once provided convenient access to water from the Gihon Spring.

2. Passage XVIII

The remnant of this bedrock passage climbs up from the roof level of Cave K to the rock-cut-temple, due west, at a steep grade 10m further up the eastern face. The Cave K end of the passage appears to have been quarried or fissured and breaks lower level access to passage XVIII. Organic materials, found in mortar of a wall built in this passage was carbon dated to 3700-3500 years ago. This evidence aligned with similar materials discovered in a drainage channel along the west boundary immediately behind the rock-cut-temple. The organic material indicated that construction on the passage had occurred sometime during this period and provides evidence of its use during the middle bronze age.

3. Rock-Cut-Temple

Excavation to expose Rock-Cut-Temple

This is arguably the most fascinating complex of Mount Moriah's eastern face. The temple cut in the  rock contains all of the necessary elements for worship, similar to the practices that followed in King Solomon's First Temple as widely document in ancient Jewish texts. The features include (looking West); 

Matzevah in the cabinet (left) - Altar Platform, liquids channel (right)

Matzevah

Altar platform and liquids channel

A Matzevah or standing stone was forbidden by Biblical law for use in any Jewish worship. Therefore, the practice ceased around 3300 years ago, some 300 years before King David arrived on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Prior to that, use of a matzevah was permitted as referred in Biblical Jacob and has been widely reported in archaeology. However, this humble matzevah is unique in all Israeli archaeology. The altars' liquids channel and altar platform once supported a stone altar on which animal sacrifices were offered.

To the left (south) of the matzevah 'V' cuts in the bedrock used for slaughtering, processing and preparing animal sacrifices. The room also contains a sunken mortar for crushing grains. To the right (north) of the altar platform an olive press for preparing pure olive oil, of the highest grade to be used for anointing and preparing baked sacrificial offerings.

North over the olive press

Looking north over the oil press, passage XIX is terminated by Wall 108 (see map below). The northern wall W108, of the double wall was excavated and dated along with W109 to the Middle Bronze Age. It is still unknown as to why the double wall was built and this remains one of the more perplexing elements of the temple complex.  

4. Wall 108 and 109

The double wall complex was one of the most challenging constructions in the City of David and certainly on the eastern face. Massive boulders stacked to a height of up to 5 meters had to be hauled up, or lowered down the slope and precisely placed. It was a serious construction requiring a labor force greater than the size of the entire local population of the mountain. It is presently anticipated that the passage between the double walls was sealed, a ziggurat type structure that led worshipers on an ascent to passage XIX where they would turn left (south) and proceed to the rock-cut-temple complex. 

A recent discovery (see image below) confirmed that the double walls abutt passage XIX, but that W108 (north, top of picture) extended through the passage further west blocking north-south access. W109 meets the passage and would have ensured foot traffic, between the walls, was guided to the south along passage XIX toward the rock-cut-temple complex.  

Looking North, at the top, large steps
between W108 (north) and W109

5. Defensive wall 

As confirmed by surviving organic material, 1000 years after the rock-cut-temple were last used, toward the end of the iron age, a defensive city wall was built on the eastern face of the mountain. The wall was constructed over the rock-cut-temple and soft sand (discovered in 2011) was used to fill the spaces between the wall and the bedrock to protect the matzevah from damage by the heavy rocks of the wall. That decision, most likely by King Uzziah or Hezekiah, preserved the matzevah for 2600 years until it was discovered in-situ by archaeologist Eli Shukron in 2011. However, the wall constructors cleared the rock-cut-temple artifacts leaving only a small amount of Middle Bronze age pottery in the room adjacent to the altar.

Significant scale wall (looking north).
 Top right of the wall intersects W108.

6. Question

If the rock-cut-temple was last used around 3500 years ago (the time of the surviving organic matter, particularly the remnant discovered in the drainage channel) it is conceivable the entire rock-cut-temple lay buried under earth and silt, unused for almost 1000 years before Hezekiah's wall was built, 2600 years ago in the lead up to the destruction of the first temple. The wall constructors would have exposed the rock-cut-temple, its artifacts and the matzevah causing the King at that time to decide what next? We now know that the defensive wall was constructed over the rock-cut-temple, but the constructors preserved the matzevah indicating respect and honor. If Hezekiah was king at the time and believed the matzevah were an object of idolatry his constructors would certainly have destroyed it.

On this evidence we must ask whether King David, who was compelled to this mountain, ever discovered the rock-cut-temple that existed 700 years before he became King?

2 Samuel 5:7–9 tells us; David conquered the “fortress of Zion that is the City of David,” after which he is said to have built “from the Millo inward”. The fortress David captured (thought to be the Spring Tower, see map above including W108 and W109) gave him full control over the precious water supply lines inward to the Gihon Spring. That's all it took to conquer the city 50m up the hill that was dependent on the Spring. 

Did the 700 year legacy of priesthood and ancestral history, at the rock-cut-temple motivate David to capture and locate Zion? Did he ever find it?

Hezekiah's Dilemma

Hezekiah's Seal

I was surprised to read a sequence in Talmud, Sanhedrin (95-97) that connects several mysteries related to contraction of land, suspension of the sun's orbit, Jerusalem and a messianic prophecy. 

First in the sequence, Avishai saved King David's life. (95a:8) But, Tanach and midrash inform us that after King David's sinful census 70,000 in Israel's north were killed, the next day, on the summit of Jerusalem's Mount Moriah, when the angel of death was poised to destroy Jerusalem, Avishai was sacrificed to pacify the angel and prevent Jerusalem's destruction. At the foot of the angel of death David offered his personal sacrifice and that site would become the future altar of Jerusalem's first temple. This story is reflected in the 'sword over Jerusalem', words that are said each year at Passover tables the world over.  

Next, Talmud steps the reader back ~500 years to the time Jacob returned and stumbled on 'the place' his fathers prayed (95b:1). By this, midrashim and commentaries we know 'the place' to be the Beit El of Abraham and Jacob, the Akeida (binding) of Isaac, which according to Jewish law will be the place of the future temple altar.

Then, the reader steps forward ~1000 years to learn of Hezekiah's failure to obtain his Messianic designation after Sancheirev attempted to destroy Jerusalem (95b:14). In other places we learn that Hezekiah' failed because he did not immediately attribute the saving of Jerusalem to Divine intervention. Then, Sancheirev was killed by his sons (age 64 - c.681BCE) and Nebuchadnezzar seized control of the Babylonian-Assyrian alliance. Around 100 years after Sancheirev's failed attempt, Nebuchadnezzar dispatched Nebuzaradan and destroyed Jerusalem (96b:4).

Among the brutal detail of Jerusalem's destruction we learn Merodach-Baladan, who preceded Sancheirev, as king of Babylonia, (96a:10) wrote a letter to encourage Hezekiah shortly after he recovered from a near-fatal illness. Young Nebuchadnezzar was the scribe to Merodach-Baladan, but did not draft nor agree with the content of the letter. Hezekiah lived another 15 years (died aged 52 c.687 BCE), around the age of 37 he would have received the letter. 

Finally the Talmud continues a detailed conversation about the Messianic redemption following a sabbatical year (97a:1-10).

In a recent archaeological discovery, the defensive city wall that Hezekiah built to protect Jerusalem from the wrath of Sancheirev's doomed army was uncovered, but it presented an intriguing puzzle about the date of its construction. 

We asked whether the onset of Hezekiah's illness coincided with the city wall construction? If so, the constructors would have commenced during his early 30's, c.707 BCE and discovery of rock-cut-rooms, in the path of the wall construction may have presented a serious dilemma? Carbon dated evidence suggests, for more than five centuries the rock-cut-rooms lay buried below meters of dirt and debris supporting their spontaneous discovery that probably delayed construction until a decision about their treatment was reached. 

Why the dilemma? Well, one thing is for sure, the flimsy matzevah discovered in (2010 by Eli Shukron), in the rock-cut-rooms was preserved by Hezekiah's constructors and remains a declaration of its holy, non-idolatrous status. If not they would certainly have destroyed it, instead they preserved it in soft sand and built the defensive city wall alongside it to the east. We will never know what other  Bronze Age artefacts may have also been discovered at that time (Eli Shukron found some), but we see, from Hezekiah's actions the matzevah was important.

The fact the rock-cut-room temple complex preceded Solomon's temple surely would have prompted Hezekiah to ask why Solomon's temple was built in a different location, further up the mountain? How would Hezekiah, the one designated for messianic status answer that question? Was this 'the place' Jacob stumbled, where he dreamed of a stairway to heaven, set his matzevah (pillar), the place spanning time back to Akeida and beyond to Malchi-Tzedek and the original temple of Jerusalem? 

Walk in Hezekiah's shoes and ponder the depth of his dilemma.

 

72 Golden Bells

In 2011 a rare golden bell, in the shape of a pomegranate was discovered in a drainage channel near the Temple Mount along the route to the Siloam Pool (Shiloah) at the southern end of the City of David. The Second Temple artefact was thought to be one of 72 similar bells adorning the hem of the High Priests garment. The route along the drainage channel is one the High Priest would have frequently used.

The discovery was widely publicised prompting many to question whether this was one of the actual bells and it exposed an age-old debate among Torah scholars. The adornment of the High Priests garment is discussed in unusual detail in the section known as Tetzaveh, Exodus 28:33-34:

וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ עַל־שׁוּלָ֗יו רִמֹּנֵי֙ תְּכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת שָׁנִ֔י עַל־שׁוּלָ֖יו סָבִ֑יב וּפַעֲמֹנֵ֥י זָהָ֛ב בְּתוֹכָ֖ם סָבִֽיב׃ 

On its hem make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the hem, with bells of gold within them all around

פַּעֲמֹ֤ן זָהָב֙ וְרִמּ֔וֹן פַּֽעֲמֹ֥ן זָהָ֖ב וְרִמּ֑וֹן עַל־שׁוּלֵ֥י הַמְּעִ֖יל סָבִֽיב׃

a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe.

Two major commentators Rashi and Ramban had differing views about the interpretation of these words. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher (c. 1269 - c. 1343), known as Ba’al haTurim commented on these:

Tur HaArokh, Exodus 28:34:1

פעמון זהב ורמון, “a golden bell and a pomegranate.” According to Rashi the Torah speaks of two distinctly separate kinds of ornaments, one looked like a bell, the other like a pomegranate. Ramban writes  We must assume that the bells were surrounded on the outside by these “pomegranates,” the “pomegranates” being hollow, they were made to look like unripe small “pomegranates” that had not “opened” yet, and the bells were hidden within their cavities, but could be seen partially from the outside.

Perhaps the Ba'al haTurim was also saying that the golden bells were concealed by the woven yarns, as a shell around the golden bell depicted below:

Indeed we find further support for this archaeological wonder, that explains the meaning of these detailed instructions in Torah. 'זָהָ֛ב בְּתוֹכָ֖ם' - 'zahav betocham' - 'gold within' and from an earlier passage 'וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם' - 'v'shachanti betocham' provides more meaning; make Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them (Exodus 25:8). Here 'within' provides the key clue as to the golden pommegranate shaped bell.

A commentary from Zohar (2:95a), on the preceding sections of Exodus known as Mishpatim discusses a donkey driver whose knowledge of Torah was not sought referring; "that donkey driver, is he here? For sometimes in those empty ones, you may discover bells of gold" The commentary associates the sound of the hidden bell with the concealed presence of God in the world.

As Isaac Mozeson of Edenics so eloquently states: "We have to elevate a P'aMoaN beyond rings and bells to the פעמו of Judges 13:25 - the divine spirit of Redemption moving in the camp of Dan".

But, the proof text that this is in fact a bell from the garment of the High Priest may lie in a word relationship to Exodus 25:12 that discusses the four gold rings (אַרְבַּ֣ע פַּעֲמֹתָ֑יו). These rings were cast onto the four corners of the ark through which the poles, that suspended it for transport were secured. The word פַּעֲמֹתָ֑יו  in (25:12) relates to (28:34) פַּֽעֲמֹ֥ן, the golden pomegranate bell by at least the first three letters and vowels, which invokes a question about exactly what the word references.

If we infer the logic of (25:12) to (28:34) Torah is explaining that Moses cast a gold ring on each gold pomegranate shaped bell, through which it was attached to the High Priest garment. Indeed this is the very design of the gold pomegranate shaped bell that Eli Shukron discovered, albeit without its long disintegrated, outer woven cover. 

The Enigma of Ai

Many have searched for the elusive ancient city of Ai, but so far no suitable candidate has gained comprehensive support from archaeology and biblical scholars. However, one recently discovered location has been missed, not spoken of very much and not identified with any other previous locations. Uncannily, it was excavated in 2008/9 simultaneous with the the rock-cut-rooms on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, 1.3 kilometers to the west.

East of Beit El, West of Ai

IMPORTANT: Jeroboam established a competitive Bethel, that confounds people to this day.

To resolve confusion, the image above satisfies each of the five places, in the Bible that link Bethel and Ai. For the correct archaeological site to be identified, each description must conform to the precise physical location.

a. Abraham’s tent: "From there he moved on to the hill east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar to the Lord and invoked the Lord by name." (Genesis 12:1-8)

          

And he returned by stages from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bethel and Ai, the site of the altar that he had built there at first; and there Abram invoked the Lord by name. (Genesis 13:3-4)

b. The conquest of Ai: “Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which lies close to Beth-aven – east of Bethel” (Joshua 7:2). Joshua set an ambush of thirty thousand warriors, followed by a second ambush of five thousand, strategically placed “between Bethel and Ai – west of Ai.” When Joshua and his men feigned retreat, the armies of both cities pursued their Israelite foes, leaving the cities defenseless against the hidden ambush: “Not a man was left in Ai or in Bethel who did not go out after Israel; they left the city open while they pursued Israel” (Joshua 8:17).

c. The 31 Canaanite kings: One of the kings listed is “the king of Ai, near Bethel” (Joshua 12:8).

d. The returnees from exile (in Zerubbabel’s time): ...of those “who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city” (Ezra 2:1; Nehemiah 7:6), the returnees are organized by point of origin. There we find: “The men of Bethel and Ai – 223” (Ezra 2:28; in Nehemiah 7:32 the number is given as 123).

e. The final listing of the people of Israel: “The Benjaminites: from Geba, Michmash, Aija [Ai] and Bethel and its outlying towns” (Nehemiah 11:31).

In each of the above cases the excavation at Ras al-Amud fits the correct location, time period and scale for the missing city of Ai. 

City of Ai at Ras Al Amud, finally located

In the rectangle original Beit El before the walled city.
Approximately 800m west of Ai
Boundary - Benjamin (north) and Judah (south).

The hypothesis for original Beit El is strengthened by archeological findings and carbon dating. Details in the video below.

 

“Jacob Gave The Name Beit El To Jerusalem”

 

Click to enlarge

בראשית כ״ח:י״א

(יא) וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
Genesis 28:11
(11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.

Rashi verbatim

THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD —R. Eleazar said in the name of R. José the son of Zimra: “This ladder stood in Beersheba and [the middle of]) its slope reached opposite the Temple” (Genesis Rabbah 69:7). For Beersheba is situated in the South of Judah, Jerusalem in the North of it on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin and Bethel in the North of Benjamin’s territory, on the border between the land of Benjamin and that of the children of Joseph. It follows, therefore, that a ladder whose foot is in Beersheba and whose top is in Bethel has the middle of its slope reaching opposite Jerusalem. 

Now as regards what our Rabbis stated (Chullin 91b) that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “This righteous man has came to the place where I dwell (i.e., the Temple at Jerusalem, whilst from here it is evident that he had come to Luz) and shall he depart without staying here over night?”, and with regard to what they also said, (Pesachim 88a) “Jacob gave the name Bethel to Jerusalem”, whereas this place which he called Bethel was Luz and not Jerusalem, whence did they learn to make this statement (which implies that Luz is identical with Jerusalem)? 

I say that Mount Moriah was forcibly removed from its locality and came hither (to Luz), and that this is what is meant by the “shrinking” of the ground that is mentioned in the Treatise (Chullin 91b) — that the site of the Temple came towards him (Jacob) as far as Bethel and this too is what is meant by ויפגע במקום, “he lighted upon the place” (i.e., he “met” the place, as two people meet who are moving towards each other; cf. Rashi on Genesis 5:11). Now, since Jacob’s route must have been from Beersheba to Jerusalem and thence to Luz and Haran and consequently when he reached Luz he had passed Jerusalem, if you should ask, “When Jacob passed the Temple why did He not make him stop there?” — If it never entered his mind to pray at the spot where his fathers had prayed should Heaven force him to stop there to do so? Really he had reached as far as Haran as we say in the Chapter גיד הנשה (Chullin 91b), and Scripture itself proves this since it states, “And he went to Haran”. When he arrived at Haran he said, “Is it possible that I have passed the place where my fathers prayed without myself praying there?” He decided to return and got as far as Bethel where the ground "shrank” for him. This Bethel is not the Bethel that is near Ai (cf. Genesis 12:8) but that which is near Jerusalem, and because he said of it, “It shall be the House of God”, he called it Bethel. This, too, is Mount Moriah, where Abraham prayed, and it is also the field in which Isaac offered prayer as it is written, “[Isaac went out] to meditate (i. e., to pray; cf. Genesis 24:63) in the field”.

Thus, too, do we read in the Treatise (Pesachim 88a) in a comment on the verse Micah 4:2: “[O come ye and let us go up] to the mountain of the Lord (i.e. the mountain upon which the Temple is built) and to the house of the God of Jacob”. What particular reason is there for mentioning Jacob? But the text calls the Temple not as Abraham did who called it a mount, and not as Isaac did, who called it a field, but as Jacob did who called it Beth[el]—the House of God. (To here from “This Bethel” is to be found in a certain correct Rashi-text)

Beit El, Jerusalem - Did King David Know?

For 10+ years I patiently waited for news, finally it came. Using carbon dating on seeds, twigs and dirt, Regev et al unambiguously showed that the Rock-Cut-Rooms, on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah are sandwiched between two sources of evidence dated to the Middle Bronze Age approximately 3500 and 3800 years ago.

Bronze Age Rock-Cut-Rooms

This is important because all archaeological evidence on the bedrock of these rooms was removed in the Iron Age II, around 2600 years ago when builders for King Hezekiah constructed the recently discovered eastern city wall (W20005 - W20021). Based on this evidence, before the rooms were first uncovered 2600 years ago they lay buried, out of use for some 900 years. No evidence of this time-frame showed up in the carbon dating report. 

Area U and Rock-cut Rooms
 (V. Essman and O. Rose)
Approximate evidence locations marked in red.

You following this? These rooms were in use up till 3500 years ago, then they stopped being used for 900 years, then 2600 years ago they were discovered, uncovered and immediately buried, finally they were re-discovered and uncovered again in 2011. 

East-side evidence samples

West-side evidence samples

Stunningly, the flimsy matzevah at the west end of room 4 (Area U map above) was intact as far back as 3600 years ago, the time of biblical Jacob. This perfectly fits the time-frame of evidence discovered on both sides of the rock-cut-rooms. Further, as the evidence stretches back to 3700 or 3800 years it suggests the rooms were actively in use at that time.

Matzevah (Pillar) of Jacob?

Eli Shukron, the archaeologist who excavated these rooms is unequivocal, this is the first temple that ever existed on Mount Moriah, a thousand years before the First Temple of King Solomon. If this is the matzevah of Jacob (Genesis 28:18, 28:22, 31:13, 31:45, 35:14, 35:20), then this is also the Beit El where Abraham built an altar, tithed to Malchi-Tzedek and offered his son, Isaac. Could it be?

Context to slope of original passage (Parker XVIII)

between Gihon Spring and rock-cut-rooms

Jerusalem Archaeology A Biblical Narrative?

Jerusalem's defensive wall on the steep eastern slope

The late first temple city wall, discovered on the lower eastern slope of Mount Moriah exposes the strategy that once revived use, from 1000 years prior, of a Bronze Age underground passage - Warrens Shaft System (WSS) to deliver water inside (west) of the wall so that the city could prolong its siege defense against Assyrians and Babylonian enemies. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5Wqhf_8itA 

The mountain city's natural water source was the Gihon Spring, in the eastern escarpment where water exited into a cave just above the valley floor. For the first Bronze Age residents, living on the upper ridge, moving water 60 vertical meters up the escarpment was a major daily undertaking. Back then, supply was regulated by the local kings' whose water carriers would haul water sacks up the escarpment to meet the growing demand further up the ridge.

The east, west and south escarpments, on lower Mount Moriah fall sharply into surrounding valleys that provided a naturally defensive barrier against enemy attack. From the north, on the summit, distant movements could be clearly observed to prepare and repel hostilities. The upper flats, on the lower section of Mount Moriah was ideal to establish a small village and protect its residents, but water presented a major challenge.

Bronze Age occupants had a limited population size, but archaeology for that period suggests more than just local residents helped to construct a secure water carriage system. According to the Hebrew Bible Mount Moriah contained indigenous artifacts that Israelites, after Jacob and 250 years of exile, would have been intent to reclaim along with their inherited land. To improve water security and possibly dissuade an Israelite attack, the residents must have obtained regional labor support from regional allies in order to massively excavate the bedrock of the mountain.

Four significant constructions must be understood in order to interpret ancient events on the mountain and the motivation for theses constructions:

1. The 'Warren's Shaft System' (WSS) - a man-made tunnel rising through the mountain that permitted cool, efficient and protected passage to water carriers. Water was carried from the spring, hauled up to lower level dwellings at the uppermost exit of the system and further up to the city's mountain ridge (a ~60m vertical rise from the water).  

2. Double walls - 'W108/W109' were built, east-west up the escarpment using +1 ton boulders carried up a ~30 degree grade and precisely placed to build the staggered walls that stretch ~50 meters uphill at a height of 6-10m. Such a substantial construction required more labor force than the residential capacity of the upper city.

3. The 'Rock-cut Feature' (RCF) - a large quarry, south of W109 left a gaping wound in the bedrock and cut convenient access between Area U's Rock-Cut-Rooms, on the higher slope of the eastern escarpment and the Gihon water source below.

4. The 'Rock-Cut-Rooms' (RCR) - a temple complex of 4 rooms each with a feature dedicated to worship. They include (from north to south) an olive press for pure oil, raised altar platform and liquids channel, matzevah or anointing-pillar and room for slaughtering and processing animal sacrifices. 

Ongoing debate about the date of these features leads to consensus that some or all elements, of each feature converge on periods of the Bronze Age, which is sufficient context for this article. 

The time-layered system of channels, walls, boulevards, ridges and passages secured water supply for residents who had moved from the valley floor to the mountain ridge. It also served the franchise of the local king. 

During the Bronze and early Iron Age produce in the Kidron Valley was grown using the constant flow of water from Channel I or II. At or around the Gihon Spring produce was processed, traded and distributed. There produce and water filled leather sacks would have been loaded on donkey's that traversed up the escarpment into the city. Eventually a walkway and donkey pathway (see image below) eased the 35+ degree climb ~60 vertical meters up the eastern slope. Food trade from other cities, including the coast may also have arrived from the north and west, along convenient routes to the Kidron Valley.  

South to the Kidron Valley - winding walkway and donkey path (green)
built on terraces (foreground) and Kings Garden (background).

Terraces supporting pathway
 looking north

When attacked the terraced path became exposed and water transportation retreated underground to the excavated WSS. Water carriers would carry water sacks through its underground tunnel and haul them up its vertical shaft to a height ~40m above the Gihon Spring, more than halfway to the top of the donkey trail. At that height, out of harms way carriers would exit a narrow tunnel and carry water the rest of the way into the city.

A natural cave, dated to paleolithic and chalcolithic periods was the original entrance to natural caustic WSS formation. The cave (pictured below), just west of Building 2482 was eventually sealed with a wall, most likely when W108 and 109 were constructed to further secure access to the expanded WSS. The floor of the cave eventually collapsed. Interestingly a recent finding confirmed a massive earthquake late in the Iron Age, which may have been the cause of the floor collapse. 

Archaeologist Ronny Reich inside
the sealed cave leading into WSS to his right

The elevated city provided defensive advantage, especially for prolonged sieges that typically surrounded a city or attacked the water and produce supply line to starve its population and flush them out. For Bronze Age Jerusalem that supply line was at or around the Gihon Spring, the route up the eastern escarpment and the exposed entry to the city from the north. Any enemy force that could prevent food supply would essentially starve the city except for the life-line of water via WSS.

The remnant of the recently discovered late Iron Age wall, built by Hezekiah to stave off  the Assyrian threat was constructed on a line that entirely ran over the RCR's. Archaeologists validated this 200 meters stretch of wall, on the eastern escarpment as Jerusalem's only defensive city wall, none has been discovered on the west. 

Under the wall, on the RCR bedrock of room 2 (see RCR image above) a matzevah (discovered by Eli Shukron 2009) had been entirely preserved in soft sand by the constructors of the wall. The matzevah is the modern City of David's largest, in-situ, intact artifact that has survived earthquake and destruction, because the wall surrounded and protected it. This is strong indication that the King, who constructed the wall, most likely Hezekiah ordered preservation of the matzevah because it reflected his compatible belief in line with that of Azariah, the High Priest and Isaiah, the prophet of the nation at that time. 

The RCR's form a temple complex that includes a sacrificial altar platform at the west end. Priests offering a sacrifice on the altar, that once stood on the platform, had to turn their backs to the sun an unlikely orientation for sun god worshippers, but consistent with practices of monotheistic tradition preceding and incorporated by Judaism. Further, bored into the leading edge of the north wall rock-face, in the room 1 (with V markings in the floor) small animals were tethered. This is evidenced by the low bedrock pass-through-loop that signifies more frequent sacrifice of small animals. According to Jewish law, animals offered for sacrifice must be blemish free and more than 8 days old, naturally younger animals were certain to remain blemish free.  

Low animal tether
 looped in bedrock edge

Close up of low animal
 tether ~25cm above ground

None of the indications in the RCR bedrock inform of its earliest use. However, if this temple complex was indeed used by priests who practiced what would become Jewish custom, then the matzevah is problematic because the Jewish Bible prohibited such use. This can be seen in the words of Deuteronomy 16 below:

21 לֹֽא־תִטַּ֥ע לְךָ֛ אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה כׇּל־עֵ֑ץ אֵ֗צֶל מִזְבַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ׃

You shall not set up a sacred post—any kind of pole beside the altar of the LORD your God that you may make—

22 וְלֹֽא־תָקִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מַצֵּבָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃         

or erect a stone pillar (matzevah); for such the LORD your God detests.

However, in an apparent contradiction (Genesis 28:18-22), some 270 years before Biblical laws were collectively accepted by the Israelite nation, Jacob erected and anointed a matzevah to mark his covenant. Naturally the question must be asked; whether a matzevah at this compatibly Jewish, cultic RCR temple complex should indicate an early use based solely on this Biblical prohibition from the end of the Middle Bronze Age?

The original path from water to RCR's was discovered and mapped by Parker-Vincent, but the east end of passage XVIII (see below) had been quarried, disconnecting it from or to the lower section of bedrock. Topology of in-tact bedrock, north and south suggests XVIII would have sloped similarly. Thus, we can conclude that before the Rock-Cut-Feature (RCF) was quarried and emptied, its once untouched bedrock provided uninterrupted egress to and from the Gihon Spring or steps to the Round Chamber and Channel II filled it to a maximum depth of around 1m.

Visitors climb up XVIII to RCR's
the down path leads to water

Map inserted below for convenient reference. 

Height's shown are above sea level

The Bronze Age consensus for W108-W109 construction and presumption that the RCF was the quarry for these massive walls suggests RCF was in-tact until at least these constructions. Therefore, when passage XVIII collapsed or was cut, at its eastern end temple worship on or at the RCR's ceased because once W108-W109 and Wall 3 were constructed access along passage XIX was also blocked. The combination of these terminated passages sealed the fate for any practical future use of RCR's as a temple for worship.

Archaeological evidence suggests the Bronze Age population averaged no more than 800 people, and Late Bronze Age Jerusalem appears to be even smaller. At a maximum the population would have been around 1250 people living on the ridge of Mount Moriah. It's hard to imagine, given the massive scale of these complex constructions that such a small population could have independently supported these undertakings. Further, limited Late Bronze Age evidence suggests the population diminished, perhaps after initial construction was completed. 

The most intriguing and complete evidence from the Late Bronze Age, found in the Amarna letters suggests Egypt's hand in the affairs of 'Urusalim', which prompted Steiner to write in 2003 (abridged):

“Realizing that Urusalim from the Amarna letters must be associated with Jerusalem, I began to read  carefully and discovered another possibility that might account for the lack of archaeological evidence from the fourteenth century. There is no reference to the city itself, nor to its walls or its strong gates. Maybe Urusalim was not a city or large town at all. Maybe we should interpret the “lands of Urusalim” as a royal dominion of the pharaoh, with Abdi-heba as his steward, who lived in a fortified house somewhere near the spring.” 

Perhaps we are left to imagine that Canaanite or Jebusite anxiety, after Israel departed Egypt prompted pharaoh to transform the landscape of the Gihon spring. W108-109 divided the eastern slope, secured entry to WSS and with Wall 3 cut access via XIX to RCR's. To add insult the pharaoh cut the ancient access passage via XVIII and the RCF left a gaping, impassable hole in the bedrock.

The layered time context of the archaeological evidence paints a picture of cave dwellers, early farmers, community, cultic practice, organized supply, defensive activity, and centralized authority. Leading to the end of the Middle Bronze Age's sophisticated construction, bedrock transformation and population expansion. Then, in the Late Bronze Age population downsizing, limited advancement and vassal  acknowledgement until the arrival of the Iron Age when renovation, expansion and development into the City of David recommence with vigor.  

If Israel had become Egypt's spiritual nemesis, transformation of the Gihon Spring had the desired effect. After returning from their 250 year exile in Egypt Israel were kept out of Jerusalem for more than 300 years, until the Iron Age. By then the RCR temple was most likely buried and unknown to the mountain residents and certainly to the generations of Israelites. By the time King David conquered the tower of Zion, the spring citadel and captured the defensive water supply tzinor or "pipe" (WSS) the RCR temple was long forgotten. Perhaps The constructor's of Hezekiah's terminal Iron Age wall were the first, in more than 1000 years to reveal the ancient bedrock RCR temple that pre-dated the Jewish religion on the eastern face of Mount Moriah.

The Rock and its Water

In 1917 Ottoman reign over their Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was brought to an end by British forces. It was replaced by Mandatory Palestine, origin of the interim name before it became the modern State of Israel in 1948. The name “Palestine” was later resurrected by the Palestinian Liberation Organization after its establishment in 1964. Until 1917 very few people lived in Jerusalem, almost none lived at original Jerusalem (red dots in image).  The regional population by the end of the 19th century was around 500,000, less than 10% were Jews. Some Ottoman Jews acted as agents on behalf of local Jewish alien residents intent on buying and owning land in Biblical Israel. The surviving Ottoman land registry documents landholdings in the names of these Ottoman Jewish agents. 

Red dots outline City of David, original 3000 year old Jerusalem

One of 3 homes on the lower slopes of Mount Moriah, original Jerusalem belonged to Rahamim Nathan Meyuhas, a Jewish butcher whose family had found its way to Jerusalem from Spain in 1510. In preceding centuries the lower slope of Mount Moriah, original Jerusalem had become the broken pottery and waste dump of the Ottoman walled city to its north. By the time the Meyuhas family arrived the empty, flattened slope lay quiet and barren, but fertile.

The previous 1000 years, before the City of David (Red dots)

From archaeological discoveries: Around 4000 years ago people lived in the Kidron valley because it was level, thus convenient to carry water from the Gihon Spring. Forty vertical meters higher the top of lower Mount Moriah was unpopulated, only ancient tombs were found along the upper eastern edge. Toward the end of the Bronze Age (3300 years ago) a fortress was built over the cave that was once used to enter the bedrock and access water at the Gihon Spring source. The fortress appears to have been constructed to control the spring source, not the water flow because for hundreds of years after its construction water continued to flow into the valley. 

Fortress of Zion
by Ronnie Reich, lead archaeologist

Despite artistic renderings and popular sentiment archaeological findings do not support the existence of a city wall surrounding (red dots) the plateau of the lower section of Mount Moriah. A wall may have been unnecessary given the natural protection of the steep escarpment on the south, west and east sides of the mountain. It appears the fortress and its double walls, that extend west were constructed independently of a city wall. 

Despite artistic imagination,
 steep escarpment reduced need for city walls

According to the Bible, during their first 300 years Israelite tribes had been unable to conquer the mountain. Then, around 2900 years ago, following the first seven years of King David's Hebron based reign his night-time guerilla army entered through the Gihon Spring water system to conquer the Fortress of Zion where they made camp and initially lived (2 Samuel 5:9). 

The struggle to control the fortress is not recorded as a major conflict, but it provided King David the leverage he needed to control the entire mountain and subdue the local population. This illustrates that residents living on top of mountain were dependent on water carriers who carried water up the 40 meter vertical rise from the Gihon Spring source. Once King David took control he commanded authority over water carriers access to the spring and thus the entire populous.  

Why did the Israelite tribes and King David feel so compelled to conquer this mountain hilltop? What motivated them during more than 300 years to come back to this mountain well before construction of the first temple? What was sacred to Jews on this rock? Click to find out more.

Mount Moriah and City of David Archaeology

 

Presentation on Mount Moriah and City of David archaeology. Suggest starting this @3:10 to avoid the introductions and preamble. Hope you enjoy it. Runs for around 30 minutes before questions.

https://youtu.be/tV-AyT2I-2Q

Israel's Greatest Archaeological Treasure

Jerusalem's' Gihon Spring emerges in an elevated cave  approximately 4 meters above the Kidron Valley floor. Originally the cave would fill with gushing water, rising several meters until it reached the opening on the eastern side of the mountain. 

Gihon Spring Cave - Looking East

Water flowed from the cave, falling to the east side of Mount Moriah, onto the lower valley floor, where it ran south-east along an eight kilometer downhill slope that dropped ~1000m to the Dead Sea. 

Gihon Spring, Mount Moriah 

Kidron River Route City of David, Jerusalem to Dead Sea

Archaeologists agree that during the Early to Middle Bronze Age a man-made opening, some 2 meters above the spring source was cut into the south-side bedrock, of the water filled cave, to redirect water through 'Channel I' and 'Channel II' until it exited onto agricultural terraces, on the east side along that route. (see map below)

Channel II also distributed water to Tunnel III and a deep-cut 'Round Chamber' that probably existed prior to the channel-tunnel constructions or was quarried around the same time. The 'Round Chamber' served as a well that dropped ~3m from the bedrock surface to access water provided, via Tunnel III, from the surface. For at least 1000 years water flowed through Tunnel III into the Round Chamber and further south, via Channel II exiting the east face through agricultural terraces to the valley floor bellow.

Prior to construction of the channel-tunnel system the Round Chamber may have existed as the shaft to an Early Bronze Age shaft-tomb into which Tunnel III was cut or was was constructed to improve access to the water. The steps, depicted on the map above (right or east of the Round Chamber) demonstrate that improved access to the water was their purpose. On completion, water would have been drawn from two primary points; 1) steps into the cave of the Gihon Spring; 2) steps to the Round Chamber well as well as points along the southern extension of Channel II, as water exited the bedrock further down the mountain. 

During the Early-Middle Bronze Age the Rock-Cut-Rooms, adjacent to Area U (see map - west) served as a temple, the first organized worship on Mount Moriah. Archaeologists widely acknowledge the Rock-Cut-Rooms existed and were in use more than 3600 years ago. Eli Shukron, the archaeologist who made the discovery in 2009 attributes them to Biblical Malchi-Tzedek, the Righteous King who, according to the Bible practiced as the high priest at this location until he died around 3600 years ago.

Intriguingly most of the features of the Rock-Cut-Rooms resemble elements that were ultimately written into Biblical, Israelite and Jewish law some 300-500 years later. These laws governed and gave a design, based on ancient ritual, to the the portable Sanctuary built and used in the desert after the Israelites were exiled from Egypt.

Rock-Cut-Rooms, adjacent-east of Area U

A uniquely preserved feature of the Rock-Cut-Rooms is a standing stone, referenced in the Bible as a 'matzevah' that was later disallowed following the introduction of Biblical law (Deuteronomy16:21-22). Initially the Bible tells of a standing stone erected (Genesis 28:18) by the progenitor of the Israelite nation, Jacob. Most commentators attribute its location to Mount Moriah where ~200 years before Moses transcribed the Bible Jacob had returned (Genesis 35:14). Jacob had used the matzevah as an instrument of worship to declare his "House of God" covenant, but later the practice was specifically forbidden by the Bible law of Moses.

I am a proponent that the Rock-Cut-Rooms are the site Jacob erected his matzevah because  chronological elements align facts with Jewish traditions and laws. Israel possesses no other archaeological sites that incorporate the qualifying features of the Rock-Cut-Room temple, according to well known Jewish temple law. These laws support the altars' raised platform, at the west of the room where priests would have faced west. In addition, the liquids channel (wine/water/blood), non-production oil press (single press only for purity) and bedrock-grain press. Further, in front of the altar  platform there is a deep concave in the bedrock designed to insert a convex, rounded jug (as opposed to a self-standing jug) which was used to prevent sacrificial blood from congealing and ensure its purity.

Altar platform, liquids channel vessel holder

Bored through the bedrock edges, adjacent to the 'V' marked bedrock are a series of places to tie small animals, indicating use of primarily young animals for slaughter and sacrifice. Jewish law requires unblemished animals, which tend younger from at least 8 days old. 

Bored low for small animal ties.

Finally the matzevah is the only erect object of the Rock-Cut-Rooms that has remarkably existed in-tact for 3500+ years.

Undoubtedly, thousands of sacrifices were offered over hundreds of years of worship at the temple of Rock-Cut-Rooms. Water was required to wash and process animals and their hides, as such water carriers would have transported it in vessels up the steep slope from the Round Chamber each day.  

(If your mobile device blocks the video at the Rock-Cut-Rooms click - https://youtu.be/CRhiq0FpLqE)

The Rock-Cut-Rooms had previously been buried, under natural fall from the slope, some 500 years before King David arrived to unite his tribal kingdom and live on Mount Moriah. The rooms had been buried sometime between 3600 and 2900 years ago, almost certainly King David did not know of their existence. Some 1000 years later, builders were the first to rediscover them, 2600 years ago, during the construction of defensive walls along the eastern slope. Archaeologists acknowledge that the fragile matzevah was purposely preserved, in soft sand, most likely by King Hezekiah's wall constructors before they completed the wall over the Rock-Cut-Rooms. In 2009 archaeologist Eli Shukron re-discovered it within the fill of Ancient Jerusalem's thick eastern wall in a well protected, 2600 year preserved state.

Matzevah, anointing pillar or standing stone

After the Five Books of the Bible (Old Testament) came the Book of Judges, the Books of Samuel, Books of Kings, Prophets and later books, but there is no mention or hint of the rock-cut Temple complex. One of the greatest Biblical commentators, Rabbi Moses Maimonides was once asked why the Bible did not mention Jerusalem; he wrote that Israel's enemies would have been emboldened to destroy it forever. Perhaps the rock-cut temple's burial was natural or an attempt to conceal its existence forever and Jerusalem's 2600 years old walls its' ultimate defense against its destruction. Either way, now that the rock-cut temple is in Israel's safe hands we must ask whether the matzevah is that on which Jacob accepted his nations name Israel (Genesis 35:10) and therefore declare it Israel's greatest and holiest archaeological treasure.