Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a massive ditch under a busy road and a handprint engraved
Scientists made the discovery during preliminaryexcavations near one of the city’s main thoroughfares. According to an official statement to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the moat was dug by the city's Muslim defenders around the 10th century to strengthen the defenses of the city walls. “We didn’t know that a busy street was built right above a huge moat,” the scientists explain.
The width of the “rock-cut” ditch is 10 m,and the depth is from two to seven meters. However, archaeologists are still unsure why ancient people left a strange handprint etched on the wall.
Ditch under a street in Jerusalem
Although moats like those that surround castlesin Europe, it was usually filled with water, in this case it was left dry. The city's defenders hoped that size would be "an insurmountable obstacle that would slow down the attacking enemy," the scientists conclude.
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Text and cover photos: Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority
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