Second Temple-era ritual bath weighs about 25 tons and was moved intact to protect it during construction
Archaeologists in southern Israel say a roughly 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath has provided evidence of a Second Temple-era settlement that was previously unknown to researchers.
Discovery made near Kiryat Gat
The mikveh was uncovered during salvage excavations ahead of construction in the Carmei Gat neighborhood of Kiryat Gat, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Archaeologists said the find points to a Jewish settlement in an area between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev where no settlement of that period had previously been documented.
The excavation also uncovered stone measuring vessels associated with Jewish ritual-purity practices during the Second Temple period.
25-ton structure moved intact
The ritual bath weighs about 25 tons and is roughly 13 feet wide. Conservation teams reinforced the ancient plaster and structure before a large crane lifted the mikveh in one piece.
It was temporarily moved to an Israel Antiquities Authority storage facility to protect it while development work continues.
Ancient site will return to public view
Researchers believe the settlement was abandoned around the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century and was occupied again centuries later during the Byzantine period by a different population.
Plans call for the mikveh to eventually be returned to Carmei Gat and displayed in a public space within the modern neighborhood.
The discovery offers another window into Jewish community life in the land of Israel during the Second Temple era.
Sources: Israel Antiquities Authority; Times of Israel.
