It is difficult to not be impressed with Hezekiah’s tunnel. Modern people, me included, tend to think that we have advanced way beyond the ancients in knowledge and skill. Things like this tunnel prove otherwise. When you consider the tools and technology available to them at that time, this feat was amazing. The necessity of the tunnel for defensive purposes demanded a solution. While Hezekiah was a Godly king, he still saw the need to sure up this weakness. This monumental task was so important that the difficulty did not stop the workers. When the need is great so is the solution many times.
Also, the presence of the cemeteries is hard to ignore. In the US cemeteries are often put to the side, but here the memorials to the dead are a constant presence no matter where you go. I have never paid much attention to the burial practices of societies, but Jerusalem forces you to consider this. What does it say about a society that it memorializes its dead in this way? (And not just the kings and queens) Consider that in Egypt there is little doubt as the occupant of a tomb, but in Israel there is almost no certainty, even for the greatest leaders in the county’s history. Interesting.
DC
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