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September 2011, Daily News

2,000-Year-Old Ritual Bath Unearthed in Israel

Wed, Oct 12, 2011

The discovery supports historical sources that indicate the existence of a Jewish settlement of the Second Temple period in the area of the find.

2,000-Year-Old Ritual Bath Unearthed in Israel

A plaster covered structure, likely a ritual bath (or mikveh in Hebrew), dated to the Second Temple period (first century BCE-first century CE) was unearthed during an archaeological excavation near Kibbutz Zor'a in Israel. 

Conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in advance of plans by a company to install a water line at the location, the excavation uncovered a plaster-treated square structure with three walls designed to store water. In a corner, a channel was installed anciently to drain the water into the associated ritual bath. Moreover, a plaster floor and three descending stairs were exposed.

A mikveh, or ritual bath, is a small pool-like structure that held water, used as a means of ritual purification in connection with religious practices or activity. Mikva'ot (plural for mikveh) were commonly used during the Second Temple period by the Jewish inhabitants of Judea. Ancient examples of such structures can be found at archaeological sites such as Khirbet Qumran near the Dead Sea, in the area where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

According to archaeologists at the site, the discovery is in line with historical records that indicate a Jewish settlement existed in the region approximately 2,000 years ago, during the period that included the reign of King Herod.

Says archaeologist Pablo Betzer, the excavation director,  “This is the first time that any remains dating to the Second Temple period have been exposed in this region. We knew from the Talmud and from non-Jewish sources that on this ridge, as in most of the Judean Shephelah, there was an extensive Jewish community 2,000 years ago that existed until the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Yet despite the many surveys and excavations that have been carried out to date, no remains from this period have been discovered so far”. 

That is, until now, although the name of the settlement has not yet been identified.

The Mekorot Company, the organization responsible for installation of the new water supply system, has cooperated with the Antiquities Authority in readjusting the work in recognition of the historical value of the find, reporting that their work will nonetheless continue on schedule, albeit with a change in the location of the new water line.

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View of the miqve during excavation. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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Another view of the miqve during excavation. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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Photo, Top Left: Top view of the excavated miqve. Photo by Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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