The disappearing walls of Jerusalem? Observations on the Bronze and Iron Age fortifications and waterworks on the east slope of the City of David

Abstract

Though the fortifications and waterworks of Jerusalem’s south-east hill (aka City of David) in the Bronze and Iron Ages have received a great deal of attention over the years, debate continues concerning the nature and evolution of the fortifications and how these functioned in tandem with the complex elements of the Gihon water systems. The present paper evaluates some key issues in this regard, including the date and function of the mid-slope walls, the relationship between the mid-slope walls and the Gihon fortifications, the fate of the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) fortifications in the Late Bronze Age (LBA), the date and function of the large rock-cut basin and Cave N (aka ‘Round Chamber’), the question of a possible lower-slope city wall of the MBA, and the date and nature of the Warren’s Shaft System. In distinction to some recent reassessments, the paper affirms that Jerusalem was an important and strongly fortified centre during MB II and throughout the Iron Age (IA).