JERUSALEM, ISRAEL—According to a statement released by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), archaeologists unearthed a mysterious tunnel beneath the streets of Jerusalem. During construction work near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, workers unexpectedly discovered the entrance to an ancient cavity, measuring 16 feet high and 10 feet wide, that was once accessed via a rock-cut staircase. At first researchers believed the passageway may have been part of an ancient water installation built to access underground springs, but this was subsequently ruled out, since the walls of the tunnel were not covered in plaster as they typically would have been. Geologists also found no evidence of any subterranean water sources in the area. Instead, experts now suggest that the tunnel may have been cut in order to reach chalk layers suitable for quarrying building stones or producing lime. There has been no evidence yet uncovered that might help researchers to date the feature’s construction, although it may be related to two nearby Iron Age sites that date to the first millennium b.c. “This discovery joins many others being uncovered every day, hour by hour, throughout the city,” said IAA archaeologist Amit Re’em. “Usually we have explanations for the discoveries we uncover, but sometimes, as in this case, we stand astonished and amazed.” To read about another discovery from Jerusalem, go to "Bound for Heaven."
