A rock-hewn mikveh dating to the final days of the Second Temple period was uncovered in recent days during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The ancient ritual bath, sealed beneath a layer of ash and pottery from the destruction of 70 CE, emerged from the earth just days before the Tenth of Tevet—the fast day that marks the beginning of Jerusalem’s siege by the Babylonians.
The excavation area beneath the Western Wall Plaza. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
A mikveh serves as the primary means of achieving ritual purity according to Jewish law. The practice stems from biblical requirements for purification, particularly before entering the Temple or handling holy objects. The mikveh must contain at least 40 se’ah (approximately 200 gallons) of water from a natural source—rainwater, spring water, or melted snow. Immersion in the mikveh removes ritual impurity contracted through various means, including contact with the dead, certain bodily emissions, and other sources specified in the Bible. For the Jews of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, maintaining ritual purity was not an optional spiritual practice but a daily necessity for anyone wishing to participate in Temple worship or even navigate the sacred city.
Exposure works of the Second Temple period ritual bath. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
The mikveh measures 3.05 meters in length, 1.35 meters in width, and 1.85 meters in height. Hewn into bedrock, its walls are plastered. Four steps lead into the bath from the southern side. The excavation revealed numerous pottery vessels within the destruction layer, along with stone vessels characteristic of the Jewish population that lived in the city before 70 CE.
“Jerusalem should be remembered as a Temple city,” explains 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. 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.”
A coin recently uncovered in the excavation. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
The location itself tells a story. The excavations beneath the Western Wall Plaza are located near the site of the ancient Temple and the main entrances to it, which were in use some 2,000 years ago—the Great Bridge to the north and Robinson’s Arch to the south. Additional finds in the area attest to ritual purity-related activity, including mikva’ot, stone vessels, and other artifacts. 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.
The ritual purification bath (mikveh) from the Second Temple period. Photo: Ari Levy, Israel Antiquities Authority.
The timing of the discovery carries its own weight. The Tenth of Tevet commemorates the day on which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, began the siege of Jerusalem that culminated in the destruction of the First Temple. The fast marks the first step in a process that led to catastrophe. That this mikveh, buried beneath ash from the Second Temple’s destruction, emerges just before this fast day creates a direct line between ancient tragedy and contemporary memory.
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu connected the discovery to its broader meaning: “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. 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.”
Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, framed the discovery in terms of Jewish resilience: “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.”
These archaeological discoveries do more than confirm historical accounts—they make Jerusalem’s Jewish past visible and undeniable. Every mikveh, every stone vessel, every layer of ash speaks to Jewish presence, Jewish practice, and Jewish continuity in this city. The bedrock into which this mikveh was carved is the same bedrock that supports Jerusalem today. The Jews who descended these four steps to purify themselves before entering the Temple were the spiritual ancestors of every Jew who stands at the Western Wall today. The ash that sealed this mikveh came from fires that consumed the Second Temple, but the Jewish connection to Jerusalem survived that destruction, just as it has survived every attempt to sever it since.
