Archaeologists working near the Gihon Spring are confounded by a series of “V” shapes cut into the floor of a room. Archaeologists Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich date the marks to 800 BC or earlier, and they note a similar mark from the excavations of Parker, but they cannot explain the purpose of these 1.5-feet-long (0.5-m) carvings in the limestone. From the Associated Press:
Israeli diggers who uncovered a complex of rooms carved into the bedrock in the oldest section of the city recently found the markings: Three “V” shapes cut next to each other into the limestone floor of one of the rooms, about 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep and 50 centimeters long. There were no finds to offer any clues pointing to the identity of who made them or what purpose they served.
The archaeologists in charge of the dig know so little that they have been unable even to posit a theory about their nature, said Eli Shukron, one of the two directors of the dig.
“The markings are very strange, and very intriguing. I’ve never seen anything like them,” Shukron said.
The continuation of the story gives more information about the “V” found by Parker, the unique nature of the room, the standing stone found nearby, and a couple of nice photos.
The City of David Facebook page is asking readers who have seen anything similar elsewhere in the world to share their knowledge.
2 thoughts on “Mysterious Marks in the City of David”
What would you posit, Todd?
The grooves in the limestone were used by the fullers to whiten clothes. II Kings 18:17 – …they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field. See also Isaiah 7:3 and 36:2.