2,000-Y-O Jewish Ritual Bath From Second Temple Period Unearthed In Galilee

A 2,000-year-old mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, has been uncovered in Galilee on an ancient farmstead.

The first-of-its-kind archaeological discovery was found during an excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted and occurred prior to a significant construction project on the highway system that was about to start in the region, according to multiple reports.  The Second Temple period in Jewish history spanned from 516 B.C. and 70 A.D., when the Second Temple of Jerusalem existed. The sects of Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots and the earliest Christians formed during this period. In 70 A.D., the Romans captured the Holy City and destroyed the temple. The planned highway construction would have damaged the mikveh if left in the bedrock, the archaeologists noted, and as a result, it had to be detached and transferred it to the nearby Hannaton kibbutz and Israeli collective agricultural community where it will be preserved.