March 16, 2006
Underground chambers and tunnels constructed by Jews in hiding from the Romans during a revolt in 66-70 CE have been discovered by archeologists in northern Israel. The pits, which are connected to each other by short tunnels, would have served as a concealed subterranean home. Yardenna Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the finding shows that the ancient Jews planned and prepared for the uprising. This is in contrast to the common perception that the revolt began spontaneously. "It definitely was not spontaneous," said Alexandre. "The Jews of that time certainly did prepare for it, with underground hideaways here and in other sites we have found." However, the recent discovery of these underground chambers at the Israeli Arab village of Kafr Kana, north of Nazareth, is unique. All other "hiding refuges" found so far are hewn out of rock. But at Kafr Kana, the settlers built the chambers out of housing materials, and they hid them directly under their floors. They made sure their families had access to the chambers from inside their homes.
