Near East · c. 2,000 years ago · Jerusalem, Jerusalem
300-metre stretch of 2,000-year-old aqueduct found in Jerusalem
The long channel helped make sure the city had enough water for its residents and for the pilgrims who travelled to it.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem Archaeologists have uncovered a section of an ancient aqueduct about 300 metres long in Jerusalem. The channel dates from about 2,000 years ago, according to a news report published on 27 October 2026.
The find adds to what is known about how the city's engineers kept Jerusalem supplied with water at that time. Their aim, according to the report, was to make sure there was enough water for residents and for pilgrims.
A long stretch of channel
Three hundred metres is roughly the length of three football pitches laid end to end. An aqueduct is a channel built to carry water over long distances. Most ancient aqueducts relied on gravity alone, with the channel sloping gently downhill from its source.
The report did not give the exact location of the section. It also did not name the excavators or say how the channel was dated. The age of about 2,000 years is an approximate figure, not a precise date.
Water for a city of pilgrims
Jerusalem lies in hill country with few natural water sources. Its oldest supply was the Gihon Spring, on the slope below the ancient city to the east. As the city grew, that spring could not meet demand on its own.
About 2,000 years ago falls in the late Second Temple period. Jerusalem was then the centre of Jewish worship, and large crowds travelled there for the festivals at the Temple. They all needed water as well as the people who lived in the city.
Earlier research has traced aqueducts that brought water to Jerusalem from springs and reservoirs to the south, in the hills near Bethlehem. These channels carried water over a long, winding route to the city. The report does not say whether the newly exposed section belongs to one of these known lines.
Sources (1)
- Archaeologists uncover a 300-meter section of ancient aqueduct in Jerusalem (sun-sentinel.com)
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