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 JERUSALEM

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JERUSALEM

by the Hasmoneans (Antiq. Jud., XIII, vi, 6). It contained the palace of the Hasmoneans and that of Helen of Adiabene (Bell. Jud., VI, vi, 3).

To return to the south of the primitive fortress, a wall of later construction descends from the outer angle, south-east of the eastern tower, towards the Pool of Siloe. It is a work of the kings of Juda, if not of Solomon, liut, as Bliss has remarked, it has been restored again and again — on the last occasion, by the Empress Eudocia (a. d. 450-60). At a point 130 feet from the beginning of the wall, exploration has brought to light the remains of a gate with three superimposed floorings of successive periods. It opens upon a street under which passes a drain leading to Ennom. This

Bliss followed the eastern wall of Mount Sion for only 050 feet, that is, as far as 150 feet north of the Pool of Siloe. According to Nehemias (II Esd., iii, 16-19), the wall passed in front of the street of stairs which went down to the sepulchre of David, then by the reservoir which Josephus calls the Pool of Solomon (Bell. Jud., V, iv, 2), and, lastly, by the House of the Heroes — all places as yet unidentified. The wall then formed an angle and then a re-entrant angle (II Esd., iii, 24), but we are ignorant as to the point where it crossed the valley to ascend Ophel. On the eastern flank of Ophel it has been ascertained that a small fragment of a wall exists, running from south-west to north-east and, 100 feet farther on, a remarkable

Pooii OF

Showing on the left the Basilica of the Hol.v Sepulchre and

is the Dung Gate (II Esd., ii, 13), which Jeremias (xix, 2) calls the Earthen Gate; Josephus calls it the Gate of Essenians, and indicates its position in the quarter of Bethso (from the Hebrew Bethzoa, "a dungliill") (Bell. Jud., V, iv, 2). Here Mount Sion is crossed by two ancient aqueducts of different heights, which bring water from south of Bethlehem (BUss, op. cit., pp. 17-82). About 2000 feet from this gate, Guthe, in 1881, and, later. Bliss, have proved the existence of another gate, also containing three floors and protected by a tower. This is the Gate of the Fountain (II Esd., ii, 14; iii, 15; "water gate", xii, 36) and, probably, also "the gate that is between two walls, and leadeth to the king's garden" by which Sedecias escaped (Jer., Hi, 7; IV Kings, x.xv, 4). Starting from the tower, the wall takes a north-west- erly direction and then turns abruptly to the north, leaving the Pool of Siloe outside the city, in accord- ance with what we are told by Josephus (Bell. Jud., V, iv, 2; ix, 4). To the south of the Pool of Siloe the valley is crossed by a great dam, 233 feet long, a \'ast rain-water reservoir. The dam is 20 feet thick and is finished off, at about half its height, by a wall 10 feet thick, flanketl by seven buttresses of equal strength. In spite, however, of successive reinforcements, it was unequal to resisting the pressure of the water. The Empress Eudocia had a second dam built, fifty feet to the north of the former one. This is "the king's aqueduct" (or pool) of II Esd., ii, 14. VIII.— 23

EZECHIAS

on the right the German Protestant Church of the Saviour

hydraulic structure anterior in date to the tunnel of Siloe. The latter is a gallery, hewn in the rock, lead- ing to a wall which goes down to the surface level of the Fountain of the Virgin, whence water could be drawn by means of buckets and ropes (Wilson and Warren, op. cit., pp. 248 sq.). Beyond doubt, "the water gate " and " the tower that stood out " (II Esd., iii, 26; xii, 36) must be located hereabouts. 'The wall has been found again at a distance of 700 feet in the same direction; it then turns to the north for a length of 70 feet and runs into the south-east angle of the Temple enclosure. At the elbow formed Ijy this wall, there rose a tower, the " great tower that standeth out" (II Esd., iii, 27), intended as a defence for the royal palace. In course of time the kings of Juda prolonged the wall of Ophel so as to protect the eastern enclosure of the Temple. This line was pierced by numerous gates: "the horse gate" (II Par., xxiii, 15; IV Kings, xi, 16; II Esd., iii, 28), discovered in 1902, Ijy the English engineers, facing the south-east angle of the Haram, which is called "vSolomon's Stables"; the eastern gate (of the Temple), corresponding to " the Golden Gate"; the Mephkad, or "judgment gate" (II Esd., iii, 30) opposite to the Golden Gate; the Prison Gate (D. V. "watch gate") (II Esd., .xii, 38); the Gate of Sur (IV Kings, xi, 6); "the gate of the shieldbearers" (D. V.), or "of the guard" (A. V.) (IV Kings, xi, 19); the Gate of Benjamin (Jer., xxxvii, 12; xxxviii, 7) are names of different gates which existed