Text and photos by Todd Bolen,
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies
The Master's College, Israel Bible Extension
Judean Hills, Israel
Last Updated: August 12, 2005
-Unlike the rest of the photos on
BiblePlaces.com, some of the photos on this page are recent and not
included in the current edition of the Pictorial Library-
See
here
for an analysis of the latest news reports
Click the photo for a close-up view
City of David
Archaeologists
working in the City of David have uncovered the edge of what they
believe is the Pool of Siloam from the time of Jesus (cf. John 9). The photo at left shows the city of Jerusalem with the
Temple Mount and the City of David. The excavations are on the west
side of the City of David. Letter "A" is located where the
traditional "Pool of Siloam" is and Letter "B" shows the area of
the present excavations.
Early 1900s
The photograph at right was taken in the early 1900s and
shows the Pool of Siloam before later Muslim construction above it.
An early description of the pool reads, "There is nothing picturesque about
it, certainly. The crumbling walls, and fallen columns in and around it,
give it an air of neglect." It is a parallelogram about fifty-three feet
long and eighteen feet wide. . . . Dr. Thomson says he has seen this pool
nearly full, but that now the water merely passes through it. "The
intermittent flow is supposed to be due to a natural syphon, but the
natives' explanation is that a dragon lives below and swallows the water
when he is awake, but that when he sleeps it wells up freely. "--Major
Conder.
This is the pool that
you'll see today whether you walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel and emerge
here or walk above through the City of David. There are clear
remains around this pool from the Byzantine church built by Empress
Eudocia. This is the pool that has long been visited as the pool
of Jesus' miracle.
Initial Discovery
In the summer of 2004, work along a drainage pipe revealed some large stone
steps. Archaeologists Eli Shukrun and Ronny Reich quickly revealed a series of
steps leading down into the adjacent garden. In this photo you can
see the grates of the drainage channel which will prove to be an obstacle
for future excavation.
Photo taken on June 24, 2004.
Photo taken November 7, 2004
The Steps Revealed
After some months of work, a large section of these steps were revealed,
but work was hindered on one side by the drainage channel (visible as the
concrete section on the left side of the photo) and on the other by
property owned by the Greek Orthodox Church. At the far end, the
corner of the steps is visible, but at this point, no other corners had
been revealed.
Going Backward
Visitors to the site in the winter of 2005 were disappointed to see that
the pool had been covered over. This was necessitated by the removal
of the remaining street and drainage channel. In the meantime,
excavations proceeded elsewhere, including in the section of the Siloam
Channel visible on the right side of the photo.
Photo taken March 13, 2005
Photo taken May 19, 2005
Re-Revealed
But by Passover the drainage channel had been moved (now visible as the
black pipe at top) and the earth re-excavated from the steps. At this
point, more of the pool has been revealed than ever before, including the
northern corner of the steps at the far end of the photo. Pottery indicates that this pool was in use in the 1st century.
The blind man washed the mud off of his eyes in this pool and received his sight
(see John 9).
Where Does It Go?
This view is from across the valley (looking east) and shows the steps that
have been excavated (as above). It also gives a perspective of how
the rest of the pool is buried underneath the garden. Hopes are high
that an agreement will be reached to allow the excavation of the rest of
the pool.
Photo taken July 3, 2005
Latest Excavations
Excavations continue to reveal more sections of the pool on the northern
and southern ends. Several shafts at the northern end of the pool
have revealed large paving stones. On the southern end, excavations
have uncovered a large wall and a section of the pool from the Old
Testament period. These are in the pit below the wall in the
foreground of the photo. Altogether about 20 steps (4 sets of 5 each)
have been excavated leading from street level into the pool.
Putting It Together
This drawing, by Father Vincent in the early 1900s, shows the relationship
of the two pools (west is at the top). The pool marked with a yellow
arrow is the modern pool at the end of Hezekiah's Tunnel. It is
narrow and shallow. The new excavations are in the area labeled as "Birket
el-Hamra" and marked with the red arrow. Scholars have long believed
that this was the area of an ancient pool, but without excavations they
have not understood its date, size, or other important details. A wild prediction: this will be the archaeological discovery of the
decade for biblical studies. At least there is no chance of it
being declared a forgery.
For updates, subscribe to the BiblePlaces Newsletter. Or
see a recent issue.
Biblical Pool of
Siloam uncovered in Jerusalem (LA Times - now available only by purchase)
Primary article from
the August 2005 press conference which was duplicated throughout the press. There is a partial copy
in the
DrudgeReport
archive.
Biblical Pool of Siloam Discovered
(Biblical Archaeology Society) Full pdf version of the article by Hershel
Shanks is available. More accurate than the LA Times article.
Report in Dec. 2004
Archaeologists identify traces of ‘miracle’ pool (MSNBC) News article
from Dec. 2004 about the discovery of the Pool of Siloam, including an
artist's reconstruction of what the (newly-discovered) pool liked like in
the time of Jesus.
General Articles
Bible History Online - Pool of Siloam (Bible History Online) Brief
description of pool with relevant Bible verses. Includes an artist's
depiction of the (Byzantine-era) pool.
Siloam, Pool of (WebBible Encyclopedia - ChristianAnswers.Net) Basic
article on the pool that covers the main facts as known before the current
excavations. With links to related subjects.
Pool of Siloam (Wikipedia)
Brief article that gives the well-known facts and New Testament connection.
In need of updating.
Pool
of Siloam (Personal Page, Jerusalem in 19th Century Art)Features a drawing by W. D. Bartlett, published in 1847, of
Siloam Pool. Compares this view to a photograph taken in 1995.
