Archaeologists unearth gigantic wall in Jerusalem

Archaeologists digging inside the City of David in an excavation site outside the old city of East Jerusalem, unearthed what seems to be a gigantic fortification.   They made this conclusion based on the structure’s dimensions, the thickness of its walls, and the size of the stones incorporated in its construction.

The discovered section is 24 meters (79 feet) long, standing at eight meters (26 feet) high, made up of huge cut boulders.  It has been estimated to be 3,700-years-old.  It could be part of a massive wall construction protecting a fortified passage.

Excavation director Ronny Reich marveled at the structure.  “To build straight walls up eight meters, I don’t know how to do it today without mechanical equipment,” Reich said.  ”I don’t think that any engineer today without electrical power could do it.”

Reich, who is a professor at the University of Haifa, together with Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority, came out with a joint statement confirming that the find is the most massive wall that has ever been uncovered in the City of David, predating the Herodian period.

[via cnn.com]