3,700-Year Old Wall Discovered in Jerusalem was Canaanite Fort

The excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem, which uncovered a third-century AD Roman villa just weeks ago, have now found something much older. Israeli archaeologists have found what they believe to be the region's earliest fort: a wall dating back 3,700 years.

Thought to have been built by the Canaanites, its original purpose was to protect the city's water supply and shows that they had considerable engineering skill and were able to construct major buildings – the wall is eight metres high.

The dig director, Ronny Reich, an archaeology professor at the University of Haifa, told the BBC: "The wall is enormous, and that it survived 3,700 years - this is, even for us, a long time.”

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the site will be open to visitors today, 3 September.

Photo by Ian W Scott.

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Bija Knowles

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Bija Knowles is a freelance journalist based outside Rome, Italy. She graduated in Italian and English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK, and her main areas of interest are art, travel and history in Italy.