By Aaron Sseruyigo & News Agencies
Israeli paratroopers and archaeologists have unearthed what they believe are the remains of a 2,700-year-old watchtower from the time of biblical King Hezekiah .
In their announcement, authorities said the actual location of the site cannot be revealed for security purposes.
According to CBN News, the excavation was the result of a joint project between the IDF’s Technology and Maintenance Corps, the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and the Israel Nature and Parks authority.
They reported that the tower measured 5×3.5 meters and that the ruins were 2 meters high. They believe the tower likely stood about 4 meters high, which would make it about two stories tall. The large stone blocks used to construct the tower weighed up to eight tons.
Second Lieutenant Roi Ofir took part in the excavation and explained its importance to local media.
He said, “This is the first time I participated in excavations. The connection to the land and the fact that there were Jewish fighters in the past gave me a sense of mission. The fact that there was also a connection to the area where we carried out our own military maneuvers; left us with a feeling that we were giving back.”
Sa’ar Ganor, co-director of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, explained the usefulness of the tower, he said, “King Hezekiah was sitting in Jerusalem. How could he control his boundary? By placing watchtowers with beacons in the hills, that would monitor the area and report back.”
He also explained how the towers were used, saying, “In the days of the First Temple, the Kingdom of Judah built a range of towers and fortresses as points of communication, warning and signaling, to transmit messages and field intelligence. This tower is likely one of these observation towers.”
Archaeologists believe the tower was used until the Assyrians took over most of Judah in the late 700’s B.C.
References to the watchmen who would have inhabited the watchtowers are mentioned several times in the Bible.
“On your walls, O Jerusalem I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance take no rest.” Isaiah 62:6
