Ancient ritual bath uncovered beneath Western Wall Plaza

A mikveh bearing ash remains testifying to the destruction of the Second Temple has been discovered during excavations conducted beneath the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, with archaeologists heralding the discovery as a reminder of the religious focus of the city dating back millennia. 

The ritual bath was discovered as part of work undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation beneath the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem. Rectangular in shape, it measures 3.05 meters in length, 1.35 meters in width, and 1.85 meters in height. Hewn into the bedrock with plastered walls, four steps lead down into the mikveh, found sealed beneath a layer dated to the year 70 CE, together with numerous pottery and stone vessels.

Researchers believe the mikveh served the Jews who lived in the area as well as the many pilgrims who frequented the site and the Temple.

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

Referring to the newly discovered carriers, he adds: “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 Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70CE after a protracted siege, as documented by both Roman and Jewish sources at the time. One of the after-effects of that destruction was a refocusing of Judaism away from the Temple in Jerusalem – and animal sacrifices there – as being the focal point of worship of God – although mourning the Temple’s loss and praying for it to be rebuilt has remained a constant religious theme throughout the nearly 20 centuries since.

Mordechai Eliav, the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, said that the discovery “testifies like a thousand witnesses to the ability of the people of Israel to move from impurity to purity, from destruction to renewal.”