Culture
Watchtower Dating Back to King Hezekiah Uncovered by IDF Paratroopers
By Itzhak Rabihiya
A watchtower dating from the time of the
The excavation was conducted as part of a project known as “The Nature Defense Forces Project – Commanders Take Responsibility for their Environment” (TNDFPCTRE) led by the IDF’s Technology and Maintenance Corps, and was carried out in cooperation with the IDF, the Defense Ministry, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The tower, whose dimensions in antiquity are estimated to have been 15 x 10.5 ft, was erected on a high elevation site, and served as an observation point on the
It was built using very large stones, weighing some 8 tons each. Its height today reaches around 6 ft. According to Sa’ar Ganor and Valdik Lifshitz, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, “the strategic location of the tower served as a lookout point over the Philistine enemy, one of whose cities was
Activity in the ancient tower ceased on the eve of the expedition of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, in
Guy Saly, director of the IDF Nature Defense Forces Project, said that some 150 recruits and commanders from the Paratroopers Brigade, including recruits from commando units, participated in the excavations, an activity that lasted several months.
Saly added that the project, established with the aim of leading commanders and soldiers to becoming responsible and actively involved in protecting nature, began in 2014, with eight projects, and today, sixty activity centers operate across the country as part of this project.
“To our delight, each project creates solidarity, strengthening the connection between the soldiers and their surroundings,” Saly said. “The IDF, a melting pot of
Lieutenant Roi Ofir, 21, commander of the recruit team in the reconnaissance battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, said: “The archaeological excavation was a welcome break from our routine. I saw soldiers enjoying manual labor which added value to their experience. This was the first time I participated in excavations. The connection to the land, and the fact that there were Jewish warriors here in the past, gave me a sense of mission.”
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