Study: Jerusalem reservoirs used by pilgrims 2,000 years ago

The gigantic ancient pools in the Old City of Jerusalem serviced Jews making pilgrimages to the Second Temple some 2,000 years ago, according to a new research paper to be published soon.

Jerusalem contains a large number of such pools. Next to the Temple Mount is a massive cistern named the Pool of Israel, which is over 360 feet long, 111 feet wide and over 78 feet deep. Between the houses of the Christian Quarter lies the Pool of Hezekiah. Jerusalem residents are familiar with the Sultan's Pool, which was converted into an open-air venue for public performances. There are also two pools located on the Church of St. Anne's property, another deep pool known from Western Wall tours, and the Shiloah Pool that was discovered under the City of David.

"While residents of Jerusalem had private wells under their homes and the ruling authorities had aqueducts, another solution was needed for the masses of pilgrims. The visitors used water for drinking, cooking and other day-to-day tasks. Two of the pools were also used for ritual cleansing," Dr. David Gurevich, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who specializes in the city during the Second Temple period, told Israel Hayom.

"These large complexes are the elephant in the room that researchers have ignored. Even though some of the pools were excavated and researchers suggested the use of individual pools, they ignored the larger picture. The question was never asked, 'What are these facilities doing specifically here-' It turns out there has never been another city on the Mediterranean coast with such a large amount of these pools of water."

The University of Haifa and Harvard University launched the study, which is due to be published soon in the prestigious archaeology journal Palestine Exploration Quarterly, printed in Europe.