LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The reservoir is believed to have served the general public in the ancient city. However, archaeologists argue that its location hints at a role in the religious life of Jerusalem.

"Presumably the large water reservoir, which is situated near the Temple Mount, was used for the everyday activities of the Temple Mount itself and also by the pilgrims who went up to the Temple and required water for bathing and drinking," Tvika Tsuk, chief archaeologist of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said in a statement.

The discovery also allows a window into the public water system in Jerusalem hundreds of years ago. 

"It is now absolutely clear that the Jerusalem's water consumption during the First Temple period was not solely based on the output of the Gihon Spring, but that it also relied on public reservoirs," Excavation director Eli Shukron said in a statement. The Gihon Spring was the main source of water for the city.

According to antiquities authorities, the reservoir was exposed during excavations on a massive drainage channel dating to the Second Temple period. When that channel was constructed, its builders had to remove or cut through existing rock-hewn structures along the route.

Archaeologists said they were able to estimate the age of the cistern based on signatures in its plaster treatment and its similarities with other First Temple reservoirs at sites such as Tel Be'er Sheva, Tel Arad and Tel Bet Shemesh.

The group presented their findings at an annual conference on the City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem.

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