WATER: FROM BETHLEHEM TO JERUSALEM OVER CENTURIES
"The main thing over here is the bridge, because this is something we haven't found before in all our excavations on the water activity" in the vicinity, Zelinger said, referring to the archaeological significance of the site.
"The water supply to Jerusalem is a very big issue in all the ( historical) periods, since there's not enough rain here," Zelinger said, explaining the significance of the find. "So that's why they went all the way to Bethlehem to get (to) these springs, to bring the water over here to Jerusalem."
Bethlehem lies some 12 kilometers to the south, but the aqueduct, which hugs the hills and valleys in between, runs for about 20 kilometers.
The small dig is in two segments that lie about 10 meters apart with a footpath between them. Each segment is about two meters wide and five meters deep. Two arches and the aqueduct itself are visible.
Zelinger said the IAA is negotiating with the city to uncover another seven arches that appear in the 19th-century photos of the area, before it was covered over by later construction. He said there was also an 18th-century Ottoman-era water pipeline inside the more ancient aqueduct that also provided water to the Old City nearby.
"Second Temple, Roman Period, Byzantine, Early Islamic, Later Islamic - all the way: that was the water source for Jerusalem," Zelinger said, describing the previous conquerors that utilized the ancient causeway.
The massive hewn-stone Sultan's Pool lies directly to the south, and now serves as a popular concert venue.
"Right now, we'll stop, since the summer is the time for all the concerts here and we can't continue all our excavations. Hopefully, in the coming winter we'll find a fountain and we will have the opportunity to continue and open all the bridge," Zelinger said.
