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The ruins of the ancient Jewish ritual baths were found near Rome, the oldest discovery outside the biblical region of Israel and its surrounding areas.
The “Mikveh” used by religious Jews for ritual purification was discovered during the ongoing excavation of the ancient port city of Ostia. This was the first Roman colony and an important ancient center 16 miles from Rome.
According to religious guidelines, the staircase leads to the ritual bath, which is fed by spring or rain. – Remo Casilli/Reuters
“It is definitely an extraordinary discovery,” Alessandro D’Alessio, director of the Ancient Ostia Archaeological Park, said in a speech on the discovery on Monday.
“There is no Roman Mikva’ot (the Hebrew plural of Mikveh) before the ancient Judea, Galilee and Idumea (located in ancient regions of modern Jordan), it had to confirm the degree of persistent existence, function, and importance of the Jewish community in the Imperial era of Jewish communities.”
The ritual bath was part of the Ostia synagogue built at the end of the 2nd century AD. It is located in a small room covered with blue plaster and shells and framed by a series of columns.
The main temples of Jupiter, Juneau and Minerva, are located in Ostia Antica near Rome. The dunes have preserved the site very well. – Rock Jump/General Image Group Editing/Getty Images
“The discovery of an ancient Jewish ritual bath, or mikveh, which came to light in the archaeological park of Ostia Antica, strengthens the historical awareness of this place as a true crossroads of coexistence and exchange of cultures, a cradle of tolerance between different peoples who found their union in Roman civilization,” Italy’s minister of culture, Alessandro Giuli, said in the statement.
Other findings at the site include figurines and marble fragments, according to a statement on the Ostia Archaeological Park website. There is also a lamp decorated with images of vegetarian shoots and palm branches, and a full glass. Both objects date back to between the 5th and 6th centuries AD.
He added that the discovery “proves how deep the roots of the Jewish existence at the heart of the ancient Roman heart are.”
It is believed to have started from the naval base, and the historic city has been preserved by covered sand dunes. Ostia Antica is often compared to Pompeii, and only one-third of the city has been excavated and used as marble quarries during the construction of the Roman building’s palaces and Catholic churches.
The latest excavation was initiated by Benito Mussolini, stopped during World War II and was occasionally picked up until 2022.
The current excavation is part of a research project initiated in 2022 by the Polytechnic Institute of Ancient Ostia, the University of Catania and Bari, to excavate in two strategic areas of the ancient burial city.
D’Alessio said that as strict religious guidelines state, Mikoff will provide rain or spring water, and it will be enough to completely immerse a man of average size in the depths.
Alfonsina Russo, head of the Italian Ministry of Promotion of Cultural Heritage, called for “visiting the monument to the public as soon as possible.”
The chief Rabbi Riccardo di Segni responded to the call, adding: “Today, the history of the Roman Jews is given another precious monument, a testament to their settlement and care traditions a thousand years ago.”
Di Segni noted: “The environment found is also functional and elegant.”
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