Ritual bath bearing ash uncovered in Jerusalem testifies to Second Temple destruction, archaeologists say

Excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza uncovered a rock-hewn mikveh, or ritual bath, dating to the final days of the Second Temple period, which researchers say provides insight into the days leading up to the Romans' destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the Jewish temple. 

During excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the mikveh was found sealed beneath a layer from the Second Temple period and dates back to 70 A.D., the IAA announced on Monday.

The excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza took place near the site of the ancient Temple, with the Great Bridge to the north and Robinson's Arch to the south, which once served as the main entrances to the Temple around 2,000 years ago.

As the IAA noted, the mikveh bears ash remains that testify to the destruction of the Temple and most of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans. The Roman destruction of the Second Temple ended the sacrificial system that had once been the center of Jewish worship, in addition to triggering widespread slaughter and the scattering of many Jewish communities. 

"The exposure of a Second Temple period ritual bath beneath the Western Wall Plaza, with ashes from the destruction at its base, testifies like a thousand witnesses to the ability of the people of Israel to move from impurity to purity, from destruction to renewal,” Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, said in a statement. 

The ritual bath is rectangular, measuring 3.05 meters (10 feet) in length, 1.35 meters (4.4 feet) in width, and 1.85 meters (6 feet) in height, according to the IAA. Four hewn steps lead into the ancient ritual bath, carved into the bedrock, with plastered walls.

"Jerusalem should be remembered as a Temple city," said Ari Levy, the excavation director for 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.” 

Additional finds during the excavations in the area include mikva'ot (ritual baths) and stone vessels, discoveries that the IAA contended attest “to activity related to ritual purity.” 

“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," Levy added. 

"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 IAA excavation director stated. 

Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, the minister of heritage, believes that the discovery 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.” 

“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,” Eliyahu said in a Monday statement. 

An IAA excavation earlier this year, in cooperation with the City of David Foundation, resulted in the discovery of a pottery fragment that researchers believe offers information about communication between the Assyrian Empire and the king of Judah during the First Temple period (1000 to 586 B.C.).

The pottery fragment, measuring just 2.5 centimeters, was found next to the Western Wall, and it bore a cuneiform inscription in the Akkadian language. Filip Vukosavović and Anat Cohen-Weinberger, as well as Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University, worked to decipher the inscription. 

According to the Assyriologists, the words form a complaint about a delayed payment expected by the Assyrian Empire from the king of Judah.

“The inscription provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah,” Ayala Zilberstein, an excavation director for the IAA, said in a statement at the time.

“The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem, and the extent of its influence on and involvement in the conduct of the affairs of the Judean kingdom,” Zilberstein continued.

“In addition, it expands knowledge about the status of the new neighborhood that developed at that time on the slopes of the hill to the west of the Temple. It appears that this area served as a focus for the activities of high-ranking ministers and persons.”