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Impressive tunnel complex from Bar Kokhba Revolt era revealed in northern Israel
The largest and most impressive complex discovered in the area of the Sea of Galilee contains eight cavities and connecting tunnels designed to hamper Roman pursuers
A hiding spot for Jewish rebels, dating back nearly 2,000 years, was revealed by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Monday.
The complex, described as the “most extensive” discovery of its type in the Galilee region to date, shed light on “dramatic episodes in the history of the Jewish people." The shelters were thought to have been prepared ahead of the Bar Kochba Revolt against the Romans in 132-136 CE.
The excavations revealed that residents of Huqoq, a Jewish settlement near the Sea of Galilee, first converted a water cistern that served a mikveh ritual bath in use from the Second Temple period, into a hiding complex during the First Revolt in 66 CE.
During the dangerous period, the walls of the mikveh were broken and tunnels were dug toward other cavities, creating a network of several tunnels that allowed the Jewish fighters to maneuver underneath the houses.
“In this underground system—the largest and most impressive discovered at the Galilee—there are about eight hiding cavities, and the connecting tunnels are dug at 90 degrees, to hamper the heavily armed Roman soldiers chasing the rebels,” the IAA explained in a press release.
Hugog is thought to have been established in the Early Roman period, about two millennia ago. It is mentioned in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds as the area where Rabbi Pinhas and Rabbi Hezekiah, sages from the third and fourth centuries CE, were based.
Also found at the excavation site was an impressive bronze ring, though it was missing its encrusted precious stone. Hundreds of broken clay and glass dishes add to the many fascinating finds.
The excavations at the Huqoq site were conducted with the Israeli Heritage Ministry, the Jewish National Fund, and the Zefat Academic College. The entire effort was aided by hundreds of school and university students, volunteers, and even soldiers with experience in underground operations. The IAA said its goal was to reveal the rich history of the area while involving youth in its discoveries.
“We turned the excavation in the hiding complex into a community excavation as part of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s vision of connecting the public to its heritage,” Dr. Einat Ambar-Armon, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority Archeological-Educational Center in the Northern Region, said in a statement.
The excavation directors, Uri Berger of the IAA and Professor Yinon Shivtiel of the Zefat Academic College, said in the statement, “The story that the site tells is also an optimistic story of an ancient Jewish town that managed to survive historical tribulations.”
The discoveries at the site contribute to a decades-long debate on whether the Bar Kokhba revolt reached the Galilee area, or was restricted to the Judea region. Based on the findings, the researchers date the inner parts of the hiding complex to the Second Revolt. While the mikveh facilities were in use during the First Revolt, researchers could not ascertain if the site was used for escape and hiding, or was just prepared for it.
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