DRAINS, SWORDS, AND BELLS

Have you ever accidentally lost some item of personal value down a drain in the sink or out on the street during a rainstorm and wondered where it went?  Well if you lived in Yerushalayim in the first Century CE it may have ended up at the bottom of a long sewer or drainage channel, at points 5 meters below the sidewalk all along the Roman street next to the Kotel - the Western retaining wall of he Temple Mount.  During excavations that have been ongoing for the past several years inside this channel, about 500 meters of its length has been cleaned out.  It is now possible to walk for about 20 minutes inside the channel, from the 2000 year old steps that led from the Sheloach pool at the southern end of the City of David, then into the drainage channel to walk along its length back up the hill, and then finally emerge either in the excavation taking place in the Givati Parking lot, or on the ancient Roman Street neat the Eastern wall just under Robinson's arch.

Warning! For some this may be an emotional experience.  Josephus tells us that "After the Romans had killed or captured all that could be found in Jerusalem by the light of day they began to search for those hiding in the tunnels.  They broke through the ground (read the steps) and killed all those refugees that they came across."

There are several places on the Roman walkway above the drainage channel where the broken paving stones that the Romans broke through to purse their Jewish victims are evident to this day.  The experience of walking though the drainage channel where so many Jews hid and then lost their lives and finally emerging among the Temple wall stones that are evidence of the destruction of the Temple itself can be very emotional indeed.

Here is a picture of the remains of a roman sword that was found while clearing out the debris from the drainage channel.  How many Jews did this sword kill?  Was it used on the refugees hiding in the channel? How was it lost?  Was its owner killed by the Jews he was chasing?

Here is a picture of a tiny golden bell that was also found in the drainage channel.. Was this bell originally hanging from the clothing of one of the Kohanim hiding in the channel when it fell off in the jostling and confusion.  Perhaps it fell off someone's garment years before the start of the rebellion, and the rain had washed it down a street drain and into the water channel.  It is worth noting that the Biblical text calls for the fringe of the priestly garment to be decorated with - פעמון זהב ורמון.  Note that this little bell is quite different than what you or I might consider as a bell. Is this what the text was referring to when it refers to a golden bell?