The real Pool of Siloam discovered in 2004 AD

Pool of Siloam
John 9:6-7; Nehemiah 3:15; Isaiah 8:6; John 7:37-38
the Hebrew word Siloam means "sent"

Talitha Rudd, Official excavator at the Pool of Siloam, June 2006

Introduction:

"pool of Siloam is found 3 times in the Bible: Neh 3:15 "Pool of Shelah"; Is 8:6, "waters of Shiloah"; Jn 9:7, "pool of Siloam"
The Hebrew word "Siloam" means "sent". Pool of the Sent. This is interesting because Jesus "Sent" the blind man to this pool to be healed.
Josephus often references the pool of Siloam. He said it was located at the end "Valley of the Cheesemongers" or the Tyropoeon Valley (Josephus, Wars 5.4.1). He also said it was outside the city wall (Josephus, Wars 5.9.4) at a place where the old wall bent to the east (towards the rising sun) (Wars 5.6.1), but also facing the hill upon which was a rock called "Peristereon", which was further East (Josephus, Wars 5.12.2). Josephus was liking making reference to the present Birket Silwan, on the other side of the Kidron valley.
The pool of Siloam is fed by a conduit that is cut for a distance of 1,780 feet through solid rock, and which starts at the so-called Virgin's Spring (En-rogel). The reason for which it was cut is unmistakable. The Virgin's Spring is the only spring of fresh water in the immediate neighborhood of Jerusalem, and in time of siege it was important that, while the enemy should be deprived of access to it, its waters should be made available for those who were within the city.
The Gihon Spring was the source of the water for the pool and it was heavily guarded by a gate from David's Time
Queen Helena dug what she thought was the Siloam pool and until the real one was discovered in 2004 AD. Queen Helena is well documented for choosing locations blindly, or for purely self interest reasons.
The pool was discovered when a local city of Jerusalem utility crew were repairing a pipe. They dug deeper and hit the hug rocks of the pool. You can see the damage today where the machine hit the stairs.

Discovery of the actual pool:

While digging a drainage pipe, a tractor his some large stone under the dirt. Work was halted and archaeologists Eli Shukrun and Ronny Reich (Pictured in red) quickly revealed a series of steps leading down. The pool is about the size of two football fields.

Click to View

A. Photo gallery of the Pool of Siloam and its discovery in 2004 AD

Until 2004, this is what was thought to be the pool of Siloam up to the summer of 2004 when the real pool of was discovered. In fact it was dug by queen Henena about 275 AD.
Modern picture of Helena's pool of Siloam.
June 24, 2004
June 24, 2004
Nov 7, 2004
March 2005
July 3, 2005
October 2005
Official excavator at the Pool of Siloam, November 2005
Nov 2005
Jan 20, 2006
Official excavator at the Pool of Siloam, June 2006
June 2006

There are a series of Aqueducts that run to and from the Gihon spring and the Pool of Siloam

Aqueduct
Aqueduct
1
2
3
4
5
6
Beginning of ascent stairs
Beginning of ascent stairs
Beginning of ascent stairs

The Ascent Stairs of the Pool of Siloam:


	Video: Ascent stairs from Siloam to Temple

The pool of Siloam was discovered in 2004 and in 2007, they discovered the actual ascent stairs that lead to the temple.
By following the Stairs, they can determine the exact location of the Temple on the temple mount.
Here is an amazing animation done by the Museum in Israel regarding the ascent from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple.

Beginning of ascent stairs at the Pool of Siloam. Only the first few steps have been excavated.
These same steps that can be seen here at the Pool of Siloam lead all the way up the valley to the Temple Mount.
These steps are an exact match for ones we can see today on the south wall of the temple mount.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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