Archeologists working in the oldest part of Jerusalem announced on Wednesday the recent uncovering of a 3,700-year-old stone fortification believed to have been built by the Canaanites who controlled the city prior to King David's conquest.
The 26-foot-high wall is the oldest large-scale fortification ever found in the city, and proves that Jerusalem was large and wealthy enough during that time period to have supported major building projects.
Archeologists working at the site said the wall was likely part of a protected walkway that connected the hilltop fortress city to its only fresh water source--the Gihon Spring that lies in the valley below. It is the same spring that David and his men used to gain entry to the city when they captured it seven centuries later.