Charles Warren and the Palestine Exploration Fund

Charles Warren was born on February 7, 1840 in Wales, England.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Charles first attended Sandhurst, the Royal military college, and then the Royal Military Academy where he became 2nd lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. A devout Anglican and enthusiastic Freemason, Warren joined the Palestine Exploration Fund or P.E.F.

Established in 1865 by a group of Biblical archeologists and clergymen, their aim was to “promote research into archeology and history, the manners, customs and culture, topography, geology, and natural sciences of Biblical Palestine and the Levant.” The Levant consists of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

A philanthropic English lady wanted to improve the sanitary conditions of Jerusalem’s Old City, and financed Charles Warren’s 1864 survey, which developed into the first archeological excavation in Ottoman Palestine.
The Turkish authorities did not permit Warren to enter and explore the Temple Mount compound, nor could he openly conduct excavations. Thanks to his resourcefulness, courage and skill, Warren investigated secretly, through underground tunnels.

In Nehemiah 3:26 we read: “The Temple Servants living on the Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the East and the projecting tower.” The Ophel was already mentioned in the Stele of Mesha, king of Moab. Warren surveyed the area and began to dig a subterranean tunnel along the Ophel wall. He found the approach tower and outer gatehouse of the Water gate, built with ashlar stones and well preserved to a height over 12 meters (39 feet).

Nehemiah 3:27 speaks about: “… the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of the Ophel.” By using the same tunnel, situated on the South West corner of the Temple Mount, Warren discovered the opening of a shaft that descended to the foundations of the Western Wall and a large aqueduct that ran along it.

By means of shafts and tunnels, Warren mined through masses of debris to get at the foundations of early city walls. It was eventually determined that the ancient City of David lay to the South/East of the Old City’s present walls.
Warren knew about a tunnel that fed a pool of water, south of the Old City – the Shiloah Pool and read 2 Kings 20:20, which mentions Hezekiah bringing water into the newly fortified area, west of the City of David.

It was Robinson who in 1838 had discovered Hezekiah’s tunnel, wrongly named the Siloam tunnel. 29 years later, Warren stayed for nearly 4 hours in the cold water to explore the passage. At times, he had to crawl through a passage no more than 16 inch high that was filled with one foot of water.
He recorded his ordeal as follows: “I was partially embarrassed, for one hand necessarily wet and dirty, the other holding a pencil, compass and field book, and the candle for most part in my mouth.”

Hezekiah’s tunnel ran in S-Shaped curves and had been created by two 2 groups working on opposite ends, hewing the 600 meter vertical shaft through bedrock. Only in 1880 the carved inscription – the famous Siloam tunnel inscription - was found. It mentions on how the two groups had finally met.

Warren’s engineers reached the top of a natural shaft, which became a bending, steep, underground passage that started from inside the city walls. A lower, horizontal tunnel led the water from the Gihon spring to the bottom of the shaft, from where it could be raised by containers on a rope.
Later known as “Warren’s Shaft”, this ancient, exceedingly difficult project had been necessary to supply Jerusalem with water during times of siege. The women now could safely draw water and return to the city.

Due to ill health, Warren had to return to England in 1870, where he became a general and commander of the Royal engineers. By conducting the 1st major excavation of Jerusalem, he had ushered in a new age of Biblical Archeology.

It was Charles Warren who found the foundation stones of Herod’s Jerusalem Temple. He excavated jar handles bearing the inscription: LMLK – “LeMelek” – belonging to the King - and the water shafts running under the City of David.

Warren’s contribution to the PEF added an archeological layer of information to the political and military interest of the powers in Jerusalem.