14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, researchers with the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a Jewish ritual bath in the Arnona quarter, a neighborhood south of Jerusalem.
The ancient ritual bath, estimated to date back to about 2,000 years ago, was discovered by a team of archaeologists entrusted with surveying a site chosen for the construction of a nursery building.
Apparently, the researcher team stumbled upon the millennia-old Jewish ritual bath when, while inspecting the construction site, they noticed a hole in the ground.
Upon closer inspection, this hole was found to lead to a previously unknown underground room, complete with a stone staircase, the Israel Antiquities Authority writes in its report detailing the find.
The newly discovered ritual bath comprises a tub carved into stone, an anteroom, benches and even a wine press. It was built during the Second Temple period, i.e. 530 BC to 70 AD.
Writings and paintings adorn the bath's walls
Archaeologists exploring the ritual bath say its walls display writings in what appears to be Aramaic alongside painted images of a menorah, plants such as palm trees and even boats.
The writings, carved into stone or simply smeared on the walls using mud or plaster, have not yet been deciphered, and so it is unclear whether they served a religious purpose or are simply ancient graffiti.
“On the one hand the symbols can be interpreted as secular, and on the other as symbols of religious significance and deep spirituality,” the researcher team explained in an interview.
Efforts are now underway to make sense of them, and archaeologists hope to soon figure out what they mean and why they were put on the walls of this Second Temple period ritual bath.
Meanwhile, experts with the Israel Antiquities Authority are doing their best to safeguard the site and make sure that the writings and the paintings are not damaged while trying to interpret them.
“The wall paintings are so sensitive that their exposure to the air causes damage to them. As soon as the inscriptions were discovered the Israel Antiquities Authority began implementing complex conservation measures.”
