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The Temple Mount walls
Site 21: A Rectangular Ritual Bath
The ritual bath (miqveh) southeast of the Byzantine house (see Tour 1, Site 20) is unique in plan: stairs lead down to the bottom from all four sides. It may have been used to immerse large objects.
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This stepped water installation was coated with gray plaster, typical of Second Temple period ritual baths (miqva'ot), of which there are several in this area. However, its plan is exceptional: it is rectangular and surrounded by steps, giving access to the bottom from all four sides. Typical miqva'ot of this period generally have steps on one side only (see 'Ritual Baths'). |
This installation was probably intended for the purification of large household objects, which could be brought down only with difficulty to an ordinary miqveh, rather than of persons (although there is no halakhic reason that persons should not have bathed in it). Situated in a public area, this miqveh may also have served the many visitors who thronged Jerusalem at the time of the pilgrimage festivals.
The visitor can now return to the main path, which continues southward to Site 22. |
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