Editing Tunnel (section)

== History ==
{{see also|History of water supply and sanitation}}
It's more likely that the first tunneling was done made by [[prehistoric people]] seeking to enlarge their [[Cave|caves.]]<ref name=":1" />

[[Babylon]], about 2200 B.C., it is believed that the first artificial tunnel was constructed. To join the temple of Belos with the palace, this was built with the aid of the [[Tunnel construction#Cut-and-cover|cut and cover]] technique.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient Period - About Tunnelling - ITA-AITES |url=https://tunnel.ita-aites.org/en/cases-histories/history/ancient-period |access-date=2024-12-07 |website=tunnel.ita-aites.org}}</ref>

In the [[Mahabharata]], the Pandavas built a secret tunnel within their new home, called "[[Lakshagriha]]" (House of Lac), which was constructed by [[Purochana]]<ref>{{Citation |last1=Chopra |first1=B. R. |title=Lakshagraha Is Built in Varnavar by Purochan |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4172684/ |access-date=2024-12-07 |series=Mahabharat |others=Harish Bhimani, Nitish Bharadwaj, Mukesh Khanna |last2=Chopra |first2=Ravi}}</ref> under the orders of [[Duryodhana]] by the intention of burning them alive inside, allowing them to escape when the palace was set on fire; this act of foresight by the Pandavas saved their lives.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2021-01-22 |title=THE CONFLICT INTENSIFIES |url=https://pressbooks.pub/mahabharata/chapter/the-conflict-intensifies/ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Sengar"/>

Some of the earliest tunnels used by humans were [[paleoburrow]]s excavated by prehistoric mammals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frank, de Carvalho Buchmann, Gonçalves de Lima, Caron, Lopes & Fornari |date=2011 |title=KARSTIC FEATURES GENERATED FROM LARGE PALAEOVERTEBRATE TUNNELS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL |url=https://www.ufrgs.br/paleotocas/Frank_et_al_2011b.pdf |journal=Espeleo-Tema |volume=22 |issue=1}}</ref>[[File:Joralemon Street Tunnel postcard, 1913.jpg|thumb|Joralemon Street Tunnel on 1913 postcard, part of the [[New York City Subway]] system]]

Much of the early technology of tunnelling evolved from [[mining]] and [[military engineering]]. The etymology of the terms "mining" (for mineral extraction or for [[mining (military)|siege attacks]]), "[[military engineering]]", and "[[civil engineering]]" reveals these deep historic connections.

=== Antiquity and early middle ages ===
Predecessors of modern tunnels were [[adit]]s that transported water for [[irrigation]], drinking, or [[sewerage]]. The first [[qanat]]s are known from before 2000 BC.

The earliest tunnel known to have been excavated from both ends is the [[Siloam tunnel|Siloam Tunnel]], built in [[Jerusalem]] by the kings of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]] around the 8th century BC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=gzichnalis |date=2022-01-15 |title=Eupalinos Tunnel – First Tunnel to be excavated simultaneously from both ends in the 6th centurty B.C. |url=https://wtc2023.gr/eupalinos-tunnel-first-tunnel-to-be-excavated-simultaneously-from-both-ends-in-the-6th-centurty-b-c/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=WTC2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> Another tunnel excavated from both ends, maybe the second known, is the [[Tunnel of Eupalinos]], which is a tunnel [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] {{convert|1036|m|ft|abbr=on|adj=on|sigfig=3}} long running through Mount Kastro in [[Samos Island|Samos]], Greece. It was built in the 6th century BC to serve as an [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]].

In [[Pakistan]], the mughal era tunnel has been restored in the [[Lahore]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mehmood |first=Asif |date=2021-03-18 |title=400-year-old tunnel discovered in Shahi Qila |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2290002/400-year-old-tunnel-discovered-in-shahi-qila |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Omer |first=Shahab |date=2018-10-09 |title=Mughal-era tunnel, underground chambers discovered at Lahore Fort {{!}} Pakistan Today |url=https://archive.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/10/09/mughal-era-tunnel-underground-chambers-discovered-at-lahore-fort/#:~:text=LAHORE:%20A%20tunnel,%20structures%20with,age%20to%20the%20Mughal%20Era. |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In [[Ethiopia]], the [[Siqurto foot tunnel]], hand-hewn in the Middle Ages, crosses a mountain ridge.

In the [[Gaza Strip]], the network of tunnels was used by Jewish strategists as rock-cut shelters, in first links to Judean resistance against Roman rule in the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] during the 2nd century AD.