2,000-Year-Old Mikvah Discovered Under Yerushalayim Home’s Floor

A 2,000-year-old mikvah was discovered under a Yerushalayim home’s living room floor during renovations of the structure, shedding light on the Jewish communities of the Second Bais Hakdosh period.

The mikvah was rock-hewn and meticulously plastered. It was 11.48 feet long, 7.87 feet wide, and 5.9 feet deep, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The mikvah contains a staircase leading to the bottom of the immersion pool, with pottery vessels dating to the Second Bais Hamikdosh Period and traces of fire that might suggest evidence of the destruction of Yerushalayim by the Romans from 66-70 CE.

The house’s owners, who were initially hesitant to involve the IAA over fear of consequences to their home, were awarded with an IAA certificate of appreciation.

“Such instances of finding antiquities beneath a private home can happen only in Israel and Yerushalayim in particular,” said Amit Re’em, IAA’s Yerushalayim District archaeologist.

The archaeologist added, “The discovery of the mikvah reinforces the hypothesis that there was a Jewish settlement from the time of the Second Bais Hamikdosh located in the region of what is today ‘Ein Kerem.’”

{Matzav.com Israel, with JNS}