Ancient Mikveh Discovered

A two-thousand-year-old mikveh (ritual bath) was discovered during renovations carried out in a private house in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ein Kerem. Archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) were amazed to discover that a pair of wooden doors beneath a stylized rug concealed an ancient ritual bath.

The large mikveh, which is complete, has a length of 3.5 meters [11.5 ft], a width of 2.4 meters [7.9 ft] and a depth of 1.8 meters [5.9 ft]. It is rock-hewn and meticulously plastered according to the halachic [Jewish] laws of purity. A staircase leads to the bottom of the immersion pool. Pottery vessels dating to the time of the Second Temple (first century), and traces of fire that might constitute evidence of the destruction of AD 66–70, were discovered inside the bath. In addition, fragments of stone vessels were found. Mikveh These were common during the Second Temple period because stone cannot be contaminated and remains ritually pure.

The owners of the house said, “Initially, we hesitated contacting the IAA. At the same time, we had a strong feeling that what was situated beneath the floor of our house is a find of historical value and our sense of civic and public duty clinched it for us.”