ʿAin Joweizeh: An Iron Age Royal Rock-Cut Spring System in the Naḥal Refa'im Valley, near Jerusalem¹

ʿAin Joweizeh is the longest rock-cut subterranean spring system in Israel. It is located in the central section of the Nahal Refa'im Valley, in the heart of an area abundant with springs and cultivable terraced land that served as part of Jerusalem's agricultural hinterland for extended periods of time, starting in the Middle Bronze Age. The authors describe the different components of the spring system and discuss related technological aspects. In the framework of a survey of the site an architectural element bearing a Proto-Aeolic motif was ‘rediscovered’. A comparative study of the item's characteristics and its location suggest that ʿAin Joweizeh served as a royal Judahite water system, established sometime during the Iron IIB–C. The finds shed light on the phenomenon of spring flow tunnels in the Jerusalem Hills.