Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. (Joshua 4:19-20 NAU)

Israel – A cave formed by men by hand, 2000 years old was discovered in the Jordan Valley. It could be a site occupied at the time by Christian victims of persecution.

While they were conducting excavations in the Jordan Valley, archaeologists from the University of Haifa, Israel entered into a cavity and found a wide corridor lined with large pillars. Despite the darkness, the torches had been sufficient to reveal the richness of the ornaments of the place.

The team counted 31 Christian crosses, Roman letters, a sign of the zodiac, and what seemed to be the flag of the Roman army. The excavations have also uncovered holes in the pillars, in which oil lamps were placed, and also holes for attaching leashes and keep animals in captivity. The cave would have served as markers for 400 to 500 years. The mystery of what happened then remains.

The archaeologists assume that the digging of the cave  would have started between first century BC and first century AD, during the time of King Herod the Great  who returned from Rome with the goal of developing the Jordan Valley. According to them, it is a mythical place, decorated like a real palace. Researchers have developed hypotheses to explain the origin of this cave.

The crosses hung on the walls have only been in 600 AD, and archaeologists think they reflect the transformation of place into a monastery. However, according to Jodi Magness, a specialist in the emergence of Judaism, the presence of the cross is not necessarily linked to religious activity there. Pilgrims lost, may have arrived on site and have decided to cut the stone according to their religious beliefs, a common practice at that time.

“Although there is no apse or altar on the spot, it is not inconceivable that the cave has also served as a landmark monastery. Especially since the region is particularly rich in material, “says Jodi Magness.

The team leader in charge of excavations, Adam Zertal, said meanwhile that the crater allowed persecuted Christians hiding during the crackdown. Indeed, the Roman emperor Constantine I has allowed Christianityonly in 313, oppressing Christians until then. Finally, the cave could have been used for hiding the Roman armies, which would explain the presence of military flags.

Although none of these assumptions can be confirmed at the moment, it is not impossible that this cave was used successively by different people and for a variety of purposes. Indeed, its dating remains very approximate because difficult to evaluate. The ultimate question is the depth of the shelter, widened to 10 m, while most of the caves are on the surface.

Beautiful scenery from the Jordan Valley, one of the most untouched landscapes on Earth: