The Jewish Revolt: An Important Archaeological Discovery

The Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66-70 A.D. brought about the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple.  It is said that one million people were killed in the aftermath of the revolt.

The struggle for freedom against Roman tyranny was led primarily by a group of people called the Zealots.  The Zealots were a group of dissenters who believed that God would fight for them in their struggle for political freedom from Rome.  They also desired the freedom to worship God without Roman interference.

Before the Romans besieged Jerusalem, they confronted some Jewish dissidents in Galilee.  The Roman army, led by Vespasian and his son Titus, came against the Galileans with an army of 60,000 soldiers, well armed and equipped to fight and resist the rebels.

The Jewish revolters knew that the fight would be hard and prolonged.  The Associated Press is reporting that tunnels used by the rebels have been discovered in Northern Israel.  The news release said:

“Underground chambers and tunnels used during a Jewish revolt against the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago have been uncovered in northern Israel, archaeologists said.”

“The Jews laid in supplies and were preparing to hide from the Romans during their revolt in A.D. 66-70, the experts said. The pits, which are linked by short tunnels, would have served as a concealed subterranean home.”

According to the Associated Press, the place in which these tunnels and underground chambers were discovered is dated to the 10th and 9th centuries B.C.

Yardenna Alexandre, of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “attributes current dating of the original city as an Iron Age settlement to pottery remains, which are plentiful. The excavators have also found large quantities of animal bones, a scarab depicting a man surrounded by two crocodiles and a ceramic seal bearing the image of a lion” (read the Associated Press news release by clicking here).

The discovery of these chambers demonstrates that the Zealots were preparing for a long struggle against the Romans.  I recommend that you read this article.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary