258 Ancient Supply of Water to Toiuns. 



(teaiah), which. Fiirst derives from an unused root signifying 

 to " bend inward," " to sink," hence, u to be hollow," or 

 " deep." The Septuagint has vSpaycoyos, a word of similar 

 meaning as the Latin aquasductus. It is probable that the 

 aqueduct for conveying water to Jerusalem from the pools 

 near Bethlehem which Solomon made, portions of which still 

 exist, was constructed by the orders of that king. According 

 to Pococke, " The aqueduct is built on a foundation of stone ; 

 the water runs in round earthen pipes, about ten inches in 

 diameter, which are cased with two stones, hewn out so as to 

 fit them, and they are covered over with rough stones well 

 cemented together, and the whole is so sunk into the ground 

 on the side of the hills that in many places nothing is to be 

 seen of it." Jerusalem appears to have been always, well 

 supplied with water, either by natural springs or by artificial 

 modes of conveyance from " pools " into reservoirs excavated 

 out of the rock. ' ' Like Mecca," Mr. James Fergusson writes, 

 " Jerusalem seems to have been in all ages remarkable for 

 some secret source of water, from which it was copiously 

 supplied during even the worst periods of siege and famine, 

 and which never appears to have failed during any period of 

 its history."* Tacitus in a few words describes both the 

 natural and artificial supplies of water in Jerusalem : " Fons 

 perennis aquas, cavati sub terra montes, et piscinas cister- 

 nasque servandis imhibus." A perennial spring of water, sub- 

 terraneous caverns scooped out of the mountains, pools and 

 tanks for collecting rain-water (Hist., v. 12). The ancient 

 Greeks, according to Strabo (Geog., iii. 5, 7, 8), held in very 

 little esteem (aiktycoprjcrav) such works as paving roads, con- 

 structing sewers and aqueducts. There were certainly 

 numerous springs and fountains in ancient Greece, and the 

 inhabitants were for the most part content to draw from these, 

 though we can hardly suppose that they found these natural 

 supplies sufficient. So essential were fountains considered, 

 that Pausanias questions the propriety of " calling that a city 

 in which there is no supply of water " (ou% vSoop Karep-^ofievov 

 €? Kprjvrjv) . The same writer speaks of a fountain at Megara, 

 built by Theagenes, "which was well worthy of inspection, 

 both on account of its size, ornamentation, and the number 

 of its pillars." Corinth, certainly, was well supplied with 

 water ; numerous baths were made, some at the public expense, 

 others at that of the Emperor Adrian ; a t€ magnificent one, 

 adorned with various kinds of stone, stood near the temple of 

 Neptune." To pass over several other allusions to fountains, 

 we may notice the ennea hrounos (nine pipes) at Athens. 

 Athens appears to have been badly supplied with good drink- 

 * Smith's Dictionary of Bible, i., p. 1028. 



