The groundbreaking find was made as part of the Mount Zion Archaeological Project, a joint international effort led by Professor Shimon Gibson and Professor James Tabor of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte in cooperation with Dr. Rafi Lewis of Ashkelon Academic College. The excavation site is part of the Jerusalem Walls National Park, where archaeologists have previously found a first-century Jewish mansion and a rare gold coin stamped with the face Roman Emperor Nero.

The five-week battle for Jerusalem between Crusader armies and the Fatimid Caliphate which controlled the region in 1099 AD came to a head in July 15 of that year, with Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, attacking the city from the south while another Christian force erected a tower to breach the city walls from the north.

Raymond of Aguilers, who wrote a contemporary account of the battle, described a moat dug by the Muslim defenders to thwart attackers to the south. According to his chronicles, the count promised golden dinars to all Crusaders who would help fill the ditch so he could build a stable siege tower against the wall.

"Anyone who ever dealt with the Crusade in Jerusalem knows this story ... It's a very saucy bit of story," said Mount Zion team co-director Lewis according to GeekWire. "But nobody ever found the ditch, so people said maybe the story was made up."

Professor Gibson said the realization they had uncovered the ditch began to set in when he noticed that the dirt layers were not sloping away from the city wall, but rather toward it, in a manner consistent with a ditch or moat which had been filled in.

According to Raymond's account, the siege ultimately succeeded, but the tower was burnt down. When the northern force conquered the city, Crusaders spent a week slaughtering Muslim and Jewish residents of the city.

Over five years, the team mapped and dated the layers and artifacts, revealing a 13-foot-deep, 56-foot-wide moat. A blackened layer found atop the moat is believed to be evidence of the 1153 civil war between Crusader King Baldwin III of Jerusalem and his mother, Queen Melisende.

In a house discovered adjacent to the site archaeologists also found arrowheads, two cross pendants of the type typically worn by Crusaders, and a 3-inch piece of gold jewelry with pearls, jade and glass, consistent with Fatimid Muslim style. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

[Reprinted with permission of JNS.org]

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'Abundant Life': Study Finds Bible-Reading Is Better Self-Care Than Exercise

A New Low: Doctors Are Now Making the Case for Death by Organ Donation

Trump Administration Launches Anti-Predator Initiative for Schools K-12

US Targeting Islamic Republic Army Bases, Strikes IRGC Nuclear Town; People of Iran React to Sen. Graham's Death

Cause of Death Revealed for Lindsey Graham, Pro-Life Champion and Strong Defender of Israel

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71

'The Way, The Truth and The Life': Direct Descendant of Muhammad Now Follows Jesus

Food for Thought: The Rich Do Not Get Rich at Expense of the Poor [Video]

Mamdani Erases Little Italy ... and (Of Course) the Jews

A Lesson from King David, and a Call to Prayer from Give Him 15

Prayer Alert: Israel Has Informed the US of Another Specific Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump

Marco Rubio Steps in After Tim Walz Pardoned Illegal Alien Child Rapist before Deportation

Prosecutors Present Texts of Alleged Confession by Tyler Robinson in Hearing for Charlie Kirk Murder

'The Resurrection and the Life': Navy Vet Comes Back to Life After Family Prays

Are Weight Loss Medications Right for You? Pros and Cons of GLP-1s

Company Issues Voluntary Recall of This Specific Kind of 'Pedigree' Canned Dog Food

Prayer Alert: Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burn as Fires Spread in West

HHS Announces $281 Million to Expand Addiction and Mental Health Programs

Results: In Turkey, Trump Ordered a Trade Halt with Spain, Now They've Suddenly Agreed to Boost NATO Payments

As Billboards Promoting 'Birth Tourism' Pop Up Along Border, Trump to Ask SCOTUS to Reconsider 'Insane Decision' in Birthright Citizenship Case