Water wells
Episode 23
People in Bible times didn’t have sinks and taps in their homes so how did they get their water?
Wells were important in the Middle East during Biblical times because, like today, there was very little rainfall during the year. Water had to be captured during brief rainy spells, or collected from where it lay deep in the ground.
During Abraham’s time, people travelled from place to place with their flocks and lived in tents which were usually pitched next to hand-dug wells that were just holes in the ground covered by a heavy rock. A rope and clay pot was often used to draw out the water. Even if the water was muddy, it was better than nothing.
Later, when David was king, things got a little better and walls were built around the wells to help keep the water clean. Wells often had walls three or four stones high, and on the top edge of the stone wall there was a crossbar and pulley system. By using this pulley system, heavy pottery could be raised and lowered easily by women because it was their job to get the water from the well for the family’s daily needs.
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