A mikveh (Jewish ritual bath), dated to the Second Temple period has been uncovered during excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem.
About two metres deep, it featured five steps and was discovered beneath the remains of a house, alongside evidence of floors and debris that collapsed into it during the destruction. Stone vessels, characteristic of the Jewish population and fragments of pottery dating to the early Roman period were also found.
Archaeologists Shlomo Greenberg, Riki Zlot Har-Tov and Peller Heber, who led the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “The discovery of this small mikveh, seemingly for private use, provides further evidence that this area of the city housed affluent Jewish residents. A private mikveh was a luxury not everyone could afford.”
Entrance to the mikveh (Photo: Reut Wilf, Israel Antiquities Authority)
The City of David and the Israel Antiquities Authority noted that the ritual bath offers a rare glimpse into the daily lives of Jerusalem’s residents on the eve of the Second Temple’s destruction.
The private ritual bath (Photo: Reut Wilf, Israel Antiquities Authority)
Researchers added: “This mikveh is particularly exciting because it was discovered intact and is the second to be unearthed so far during excavations of the stepped street near the drainage channel in the City of David.
“Its proximity to the Temple highlights the significance Jerusalem’s residents at the time attributed to purity laws, as described in the scriptures.”
- This article is adapted from the full story at YNet.
