The water cistern was discovered by archaeologists not too long ago, appears to have been engraved by WWII soldiers

Oct 8, 2014 20:03 GMT  ·  By
Photo shows graffiti etched into 1,700-year-old water cistern by WWII soldiers
2 photos
   Photo shows graffiti etched into 1,700-year-old water cistern by WWII soldiers

Earlier this month, archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a 1,900-year-old ritual bath and a 1,700-year-old water cistern at the Ha'Ela Junction of Highway 38.

The bath and the cistern were discovered by researchers exploring the area prior to the implementation of a construction project. Thus, they were unearthed just before workers got busy widening this major road in Israel, information shared with the public says.

What's interesting is that, of these two recently unearthed ancient pieces of infrastructure, the water cistern has graffiti etched into its ceiling. Even more bizarre, the graffiti appears to be the work of a group of WWII soldiers.

The not-so-elaborate WWII graffiti

An mentioned, the graffiti is visible on the 1,700-year-old water cistern's ceiling. It includes two names, i.e. Scarlett and Walsh, as well as the initials RAE, which apparently stand for the Royal Australian Engineers, the serial numbers NX7792 and NX9168, and the date 30/05/1940.

Based on this information, researchers were able to identify the soldiers who defaced the 1,700-year-old water cistern during WWII. Thus, it appears that the culprits are Corporals Philip William Scarlett and Patrick Raphael Walsh.

The Australian soldiers were born in 1918 and 1910, and passed away in 1970 and 2005, respectively. The Corporals are believed to have come across the water cistern and its accompanying ritual bath while stationed in Israel and undergoing combat training.

While in this part of Israel, the soldiers left behind several riffle cartridges and even a few bomb pieces. These WWII “souvenirs” were discovered by the archaeologists exploring the site of the ancient pieces of infrastructure.

The story of the bath and the cistern

As explained by the Israel Antiquities Authority, several ancient artifacts have until now been discovered at the site of the 1,900-year-old ritual bath and the 1,700-year-old water cistern.

More precisely, archaeologists have come across fragments of lamps, a jug, cooking pots and all sorts of other vessels. These artifacts appear to be about as old as the ritual bath, and indicate that this site was once visited by loads of people.

By the looks of it, the cistern started its existence as a somewhat smaller reservoir that served to collect water from the bath. When the ritual bath stopped being used, this reservoir was widened and turned into the water cistern that archaeologists discovered.

What's next?

Following the discovery of the ritual bath, the water cistern and the WWII graffiti, efforts are being made to change the construction project targeting Israel's Highway 38 in such a way that the newly discovered archaeological site is kept safe from damage.

Apart from preserving this site, researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority want to try and rehabilitate it, maybe even turn it into a tourist attraction. All things considered, chances are that, while further exploring the area, historians will uncover many other artifacts.

Commenting on the importance of safeguarding this site, archaeologist Yoav Tsur wished to stress that “The finds from this excavation allow us to reconstruct a double story: about the Jewish settlement in the second century CE, probably against the background of the events of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and another story, no less fascinating, about a group of Australian soldiers who visited the site c. 1,700 years later and left their mark there.”

Ritual bath recently unearthed in Israel
Ritual bath recently unearthed in Israel

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Photo shows graffiti etched into 1,700-year-old water cistern by WWII soldiers
Ritual bath recently unearthed in Israel
Open gallery