Archaeologists have uncovered a monumental complex of ritual baths, most likely used by Jewish pilgrims visiting the Temple in Jerusalem, at the foot of the Temple Mount. Dating to the late Second Temple period (first century BCE–70 CE), the exceptionally well-preserved complex includes three large ritual baths (mikva’ot), a monumental plastered pool, a paved plaza, and an extensive water system. One ritual bath survives to its full height, including its vaulted stone ceiling, a rare example in Jerusalem of a Second Temple–period structure preserved from floor to ceiling.
Title image: Team members in front of the vaulted ritual bath. Photo: Aubrey Mercado.
Archaeological excavations in the Ophel, the area immediately south of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, directed by Prof Uzi Leibner and Prof. Orit Peleg-Barkat of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, uncovered the complex near the “Triple Gate,” one of the principal entrances to the Temple Mount. Its location and monumental character suggest that it played an important role in accommodating the large numbers of Jewish pilgrims who came to Jerusalem and underwent ritual purification before visiting the Temple.
At the center of the complex, built in the early first century CE, is a large plastered pool measuring approximately 12 by 9.5 meters, with steps descending into it from all four sides. Northwest of the pool stands a finely built ashlar structure containing four rooms, three of which were identified as large public ritual baths. Altogether, the complex covers approximately 280 square meters.
One of the ritual baths is exceptionally well preserved, surviving to its full height of 4.2 meters, including the stone vault above it and the shaft through which it was supplied with water. The preservation of a Second Temple–period structure from floor to ceiling is exceedingly rare in Jerusalem, particularly in such a central and historically significant location. Two of the ritual baths feature carefully hewn ashlar steps. Between the large pool and the ashlar structure lies a forecourt paved with large, finely dressed stone slabs.
“A monumental ashlar structure devoted entirely to ritual purification, situated at the foot of the Temple Mount and near one of its gates, is a truly unparalleled phenomenon,” say excavation directors Prof Leibner and Prof Peleg-Barkat. “The complex goes to the heart of our research into the archaeology of Second Temple-period pilgrimage: how the area immediately south of the Temple Mount was designed to accommodate the many pilgrims who came to Jerusalem to visit the Temple, and what activities and rituals took place near its gates.”
The ritual baths and pool, were connected to an extensive drainage system consisting of channels preserved in places to a height of more than two meters. These channels carried water from the complex toward the Kidron Valley. Their impressive dimensions indicate that large volumes of water passed through the system and suggest that the complex may have been supplied by a permanent source of running water, possibly a branch of the aqueduct that supplied the Temple during the Second Temple period.
The complex met a dramatic end in the summer of 70 CE, when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans. Evidence of this destruction includes dozens of coins dating to the First Revolt against Rome, discovered on the floors of the complex and within the destruction debris.
The excavations also revealed that the monumental complex was not the first public purification facility built at the site. Beneath it, the Hebrew University expedition uncovered remains of an earlier ashlar-built public complex that likewise included a large ritual bath, probably dating to the first century BCE. The discovery points to a longer history of ritual purification activity in this area immediately adjacent to the Temple Mount.
The discovery is the result of five seasons of excavation in the Ophel. The excavations were conducted by the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in cooperation with the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, with funding from the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the Armstrong Institute and the Hertog Center for the Archaeological Study of Jerusalem. The excavation site is located within Jerusalem Walls National Park, run by East Jerusalem Development Ltd..
The excavation team gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the East Jerusalem Development Company, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Israel Police, whose continued support helped make the excavations possible. Special thanks are extended to the dozens of volunteers from Israel and around the world whose dedicated work contributed to the project.
The monumental complex (foreground), the stairs leading up to the Triple Gate, and the al-Aqsa Mosque (top left). Photo: Emil Sadikov.
The large four-sided pool (right) and the ashlar structure containing ritual baths (left). Photo: Emil Sadikov.
The ritual bath with the surviving stone vault. Photo: Emil Sadikov.
A ritual bath with carefully hewn ashlar steps. Photo: Aubrey Mercado. Aubrey Mercado
Silver Half Shekel from the third year of the First Jewish Revolt. Photo: Tal Rogovski.
Bronze coin from the fourth year of the First Jewish Revolt. Photo: Tal Rogovski.
Prof Uzi Leibner
Email: uzi.leibner@mail.huji.ac.il Tel: +972-54-7998001
Prof Orit Peleg-Barkat
Email: orit.peleg@mail.huji.ac.il Tel: + 972-52-6611099