In his "The War of the Jews", historian Josephus Flavius writes that numerous people in Jerusalem fled from the invading Roman legions into the subterranean drainage channel which served the city.

A recent archeological excavation has uncovered this channel in the City of David. Its walls reach a height of three meters in some places, an indication that those who fled to this sewer were able to actually live there until they could escape from the city through its southern end.

What particularly impressed the channel's discoverers was the planning on a grand scale which the city's rulers did in order to develop a system that drained the rainfall and prevented flooding.

© 1995-2024 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved.

Articles may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue or school newsletters. Hardcopy or electronic. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission in advance at ohr@ohr.edu and credit for the source as Ohr Somayach Institutions www.ohr.edu