Ancient Underground Quarry, Jordan Valley
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An ancient underground quarry in the Jordan Valley was discovered in 2009 by
University of Haifa The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...
archeologists.Photos: "Glorious" Ancient Chamber Found in Israel (3)
National Geographic (June 30, 2009).
The quarry is located about 3 miles (5 km) north of
Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...
,
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
.


Location and structure

The quarry is located in the desert north of Jericho, 10 metres (40 ft) beneath the surface. It spans more than 1-acre (0.4-hectare) and its main hall is supported by 22 pillars.


Iconography

Various symbols, including Byzantine crosses, a zodiac-like symbol and Roman numerals are engraved upon the pillars. An etched Roman legion's pennant indicates that it was used by the Roman Army.


History and purpose

The quarry was created around 2,000 years ago and served as a large quarry during the Roman era. The chamber's run as a quarry likely lasted approximately 400 to 500 years. It may subsequently have been used as a monastery and some believe it may have marked a biblical site which became sacred to ancient Christians. Others, while admitting the possibility that the quarry could have been associated with monastic activity, claimed that the etched crosses alone cannot confirm the existence of a church, since they may have been made by random pilgrims, which was a common phenomenon at the time.


"Dodekaliton" theory

Adam Zertal, who led the expedition, contends that the spot may mark the ancient site named Galgala. Referring to the Byzantine era Madaba map, he notes a site called Galgala is depicted next to an inscription that reads "Dodekaliton", which translates as "Twelve Stones". The place is marked at a distance from Jericho that matches the quarry's distance from the city. The map shows a church next to ''Dodekaliton'' and today the remains of two ancient churches are located near the cave. Zertal suggests that the meaning of "Twelve Stones" relates to the biblical verses that describe the twelve stones that the Children of Israel placed in Gilgal and may be understood as a reference to the quarry that was dug in the place the Byzantines identified as Gilgal.Cave Dating From The Year 1 A.D. Exposed In Jordan Valley
Science Daily, (July 7, 2009).


References


External links


Photographs


Underground Christian Cave From 1st Century A.D. Exposed Near Jericho
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006213457/http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/0xMyp3d0OIU/Underground+Christian+Cave+1st+Century+Exposed/Z_KPsRCCqz3 , date=2012-10-06


Media


'Largest' Holy Land cave found
Archaeological sites in the West Bank Jordan River basin