The Aporia
Jewish News Syndicate. (2026, September 17). 2,000-year-old intact Jewish ritual bath pulled from the ground in Israel. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/science/2000-year-old-intact-jewish-ritual-bath-pulled-from-the-ground-in-israel/
Jewish News Syndicate. “2,000-year-old intact Jewish ritual bath pulled from the ground in Israel.” New York Post, 17 Sept. 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/science/2000-year-old-intact-jewish-ritual-bath-pulled-from-the-ground-in-israel/.
Jewish News Syndicate. “2,000-year-old intact Jewish ritual bath pulled from the ground in Israel.” New York Post, September 17, 2026. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/science/2000-year-old-intact-jewish-ritual-bath-pulled-from-the-ground-in-israel/.
Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.
A 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath, known as a mikveh, weighing approximately 25 tons, has been excavated intact from Kiryat Gat, southern Israel. The discovery was made ahead of construction for a new neighborhood and is believed to offer evidence of an unknown Second Temple community in the area. Elena Kogan-Zahavi, who led the excavation, noted that this settlement is unique as it is the only one known in this specific region between the Judean Lowlands and northern Negev. The mikveh will be returned to Kiryat Gat for public display. Additionally, the excavations uncovered stone measuring vessels used by Jews during the Second Temple period. Historical analysis suggests the area was abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Romans in the second century C.E., and later repopulated around 500 years later with a different demographic during the Byzantine period.