Posted on 09/23/2003 5:52:08 AM PDT by Aracelis
JERUSALEM -
Scientists have found and radio-dated a tunnel described in the Bible.
The books of Kings II and Chronicles II report the construction of the Siloam Tunnel during the reign of King Hezekiah, who ruled 2,700 years ago.
It was built to move water from the Gihon spring into ancient Jerusalem, protecting the city's water supply in the event of an Assyrian siege.
It has been difficult for scientists to verify modern equivalents of buildings mentioned in the Bible because specimens have been poorly preserved, hard to identify and access.
Amos Frumkin of the geography department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and colleagues at the Israel Geological Society and Reading University in England radio-dated the tunnel's lining to around 700 BC.
They report their findings in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
The tunnel is now a half-kilometre-long passage running up to 30 metres below Jerusalem's ancient city walls.
Frumkin says the tunnel is the first biblical structure dating from the Iron Age to be authenticated. The researchers conclude the Bible presents an accurate historical record of the tunnel's construction.
The Siloam Tunnel was built without using an intermediate shaft, considered an engineering feat for its time. The tunnel had an inscription commemorating its completion but it doesn't say who dug it.
Frumkin's team dated plant material in the plaster lining of the tunnel and stalactites that grew from the ceiling shortly after it was built.
They used radio-isotope dating to determine the age of the samples. Radioactive elements decay over time, acting as a physical clock. Scientists measure the proportions of radioactive elements to estimate age.
Wouldn't that be the Bronze Age?
Interesting. I didn't know that. Do you have a link handy to verify that. Okay I'm lazy, but if you don't I'll Google it.
At any rate, I find it amazing the processes people use to back up their beliefs just for convenience sake. Since a particular process backs up their belief, that process must be believable.
Oh yes. It's quite useful when it corroborates scripture. But not otherwise.
The tunnel was found decades ago; I remember seeing it when I was in Jerusalem in the 1970s. What is new is the radiocarbon dating, which confirms the date of its construction; some archaeologists had disputed whether it was truly built by Hezekiah.
For the most part, the archaeological evidence has supported the historical accuracy of the biblical accounts in Samuel and Kings.
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Gods |
Blast from the Past, 2003. |
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