Ancient Ritual Bath Moved Intact in Remarkable Archaeological Operation

An archaeological team in Kiryat Gat successfully relocated a 2,000-year-old, 25-ton ritual bath (mikveh) in one piece. The discovery, found in the Carmei Gat neighborhood during pre-construction excavations, offers new insights into Jewish settlement in the Roman era southern region. Archaeologists believe the mikveh belonged to a previously unknown Jewish settlement situated between the Judean lowlands and the northern Negev.

Stone measuring vessels, characteristic of Second Temple period Jewish practices, were also unearthed at the site. While Jewish settlements from the Roman period are known in the Judean lowlands, this specific area had not previously yielded such findings. The site appears to have been abandoned during the Bar Kokhba revolt in the 2nd century CE and later reoccupied in the Byzantine period by a different population.

The rapid development of Carmei Gat threatened the mikveh's preservation, prompting the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to move it rather than dismantle it. The IAA transported the entire structure to its National Treasures department in Beit Guvrin. Conservation specialists spent two weeks preparing the mikveh, reinforcing its ancient plaster with gauze and adhesives and creating a supporting metal frame.

The complex operation involved a 300-ton crane and a specialized transport vehicle for the four-meter-wide structure. Roads were temporarily closed and the transport was escorted. The IAA plans to return the mikveh to Carmei Gat once local development is complete, integrating it into a public space for ongoing visibility.

The excavations, funded by the Israel Land Authority as part of the neighborhood's development, had a budget of 28 million shekels.