Image: Artist’s reconstruction of the ancient Pool of Siloam and its surroundings in the southern City of David, Jerusalem, during the Second Temple period. The pool served as a major historical water installation and a center of ritual purification for pilgrims ascending toward the Temple Mount, giving it profound historical and religious significance. Source: Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Trying to Decipher Section 47 of the Copper Scroll: A New Hypothesis on the Hidden Engineering of the Pool of Siloam.

Following the hydro-archaeological analysis that proposed identifying Section 46 of the Copper Scroll with the mysterious tunnel at Ramat Rachel, the geographical and textual focus now shifts several kilometers north. Section 47 of the Scroll presents an equally fascinating puzzle, potentially bridging the still-undeciphered Qumran text with the water infrastructure and urban life of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.

The text of the Scroll — Section 47

“Beyam shel gei zakh, betzido hama’aravi, even shekhoria, amot shtayin hu hapetah, kikarim shlosh me’ot zahav, vekelim kofrim asarah.”

The fortifications and the actual depth on the ground

The phrase “the sea of the pure valley” (yam shel gei zakh) may point to the principal water reservoir fed by the Gihon Spring — the Pool of Siloam.

The “black stone” (even shekhoria) on its western side may not refer to a random rock, but rather to a monumental topographical landmark: the massive fortifications and spring tower overlooking the pool, whose stones may have darkened through weathering over time.

The expression “amot shtayin” is interpreted here as two cubits of water depth — approximately 80 centimeters net. This depth corresponds approximately to the depth suggested by........

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