Ancient plumbing unearthed

The archaeological site near Jerusalem. Picture / Reuters

Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed an ancient water system. The network of reservoirs, drain pipes and underground tunnels served one of the grandest palaces in the biblical kingdom of Judea.

Archaeologists first discovered the palace in 1954, but recent excavations unearthed nearly 70sq m of a unique water system.

The infrastructure of the palace was remodelled throughout the centuries to fit the needs of the Babylonians, Persians, Romans and Hasmoneans who ruled the Holy Land, said Oded Lipschits, a Tel Aviv University archaeologist.