Second Temple-era Jewish ritual bath discovered near the Western Wall

2,000-year-old Jewish mikveh discovered under the Western Wall Plaza highlights religious life in Jerusalem in the last years of the Second Temple period.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli archaeologists recently discovered a 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath in the Old City of Jerusalem that was used by pilgrims visiting the Second Temple.

On Monday, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that a stone-hewn mikveh was uncovered during excavations underneath the Western Wall Plaza.

The ancient ritual bath, dating to the final days of the Second Temple period, was covered in ash, testifying to the destruction of the Temple.

The mikveh is rectangular in shape, measuring 10 feet (3.05 meters) in length, 4.4 feet (1.35 meters) in width, and 6.1 feet (1.85 meters) in height. It is hewn into the bedrock, and its walls are plastered.

Four hewn steps leading into the mikveh were exposed on its southern side.

The ancient installation was found sealed beneath a layer from the Second Temple period, dated to the year 70 CE.

Within this layer, which contains burned ash from the destruction of Jerusalem by a Roman army, numerous pottery vessels were discovered, along with stone vessels characteristic of the Jewish population that lived in the city on the eve of the destruction.

“Jerusalem should be remembered as a Temple city,” said Ari Levy, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“As such, many aspects of daily life were adapted to this reality, and this is reflected especially in the meticulous observance of the laws of ritual impurity and purity by the city’s residents and leaders.”

“Indeed, the saying ‘purity spread in Israel’ was coined in this context. Among the most prominent archaeological finds representing this phenomenon are ritual baths and stone vessels, many of which have been uncovered in excavations throughout the city and its surroundings,” added Levy.

“The reasons for using stone vessels are halakhic, rooted in the recognition that stone, unlike pottery and metal vessels, does not contract ritual impurity. As a result, stone vessels could be used over long periods and repeatedly.”

The excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza, where the ritual bath was discovered, are located in close proximity to the site of the ancient Temple and to what served as its main entrances some 2,000 years ago: the Great Bridge to the north and Robinson’s Arch to the south.

Researchers of the Israel Antiquities Authority believe that the mikveh served the Jews who lived in the area as well as the many pilgrims who frequented the site and the Temple.

“The exposure of the ritual bath beneath the Western Wall Plaza strengthens our understanding of how deeply intertwined religious life and daily life were in Jerusalem during the Temple period,” said Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu.

“This moving discovery, made just ahead of the fast of the Tenth of Tevet, underscores the importance of continuing archaeological excavations and research in Jerusalem, and our obligation to preserve this historical memory for future generations.”