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New Archaeological Find in Jerusalem

Archaeologists from Israel and around the world have uncovered what they believe to be a major infrastructure center on the southern outskirts of the Israeli capital of Jerusalem, dating back to the period of the Kingdom of Judah. Israel`s Tourism Minister, Isaac Herzog, toured the dig site located at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel earlier this week and described the discovery as "the rarest and most important find for Israeli archeology,".

The Israelite-era discovery consists of what was for the time, and even today by some standards, a sophisticated water-flow system that includes large underground reservoirs, open pools and canals for transporting water. The system is believed to have been in use from the early 7th Century BCE (before the common era) through the Hellenistic Era in the 3rd Century BCE. From later years, a Muslim structure (Muslims only came to Israel in the 7th Century CE) and a Byzantine village were also uncovered at the site.

Archaeologists linked the impressive find to the era of the Kingdom of Judah after finding a large collection of official seals bearing the ancient Hebrew words for "The King", "Lion" and "Yehud". The State of Israel bases its claim to Jerusalem, and indeed all lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, on the historical ties of Jews to the area...which Arabs, despite archaeological evidence, deny.