2,000-Year-Old Mikveh Reveals Previously Unknown Jewish Settlement in Southern Israel
A 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath discovered in Kiryat Gat is providing evidence of a previously unknown Jewish settlement from the Second Temple period.
The mikveh was uncovered during salvage excavations ahead of construction in the Carmei Gat neighborhood. The Israel Antiquities Authority said the find points to a Jewish community that lived between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev.
The structure weighs about 25 tons and was removed from the ground intact so it could be preserved while construction continues.
Archaeologists also found stone measuring vessels associated with Jewish ritual practices of the period. The settlement appears to have existed during the Second Temple era and was later abandoned.
The mikveh is expected to be returned to Kiryat Gat for public display.
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Featured image: Levi Meir Clancy via Unsplash.
Source
The Times of Israel, September 17, 2026
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