1,800-year-old bathing pool uncovered in Jewish Quarter

Find sheds light on Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city founded on Second Temple ruins.

By JONAH MANDEL
Archaeological Dig 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Archaeological Dig 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
A Roman bathing pool built 1,800 years ago was recently discovered in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem during archeological excavations ahead of the construction of a mikve (ritual bath), the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced in a press release on Monday.
The authority, which conducted the excavations under the initiative of the Jerusalem municipality and the Moriah Company for the Development of Jerusalem, said that the pool was part of a bathhouse used by the 10th Legion – the same battalion of Roman soldiers that destroyed the Second Temple.
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The discovery sheds light on the scope of Aelia Capitolina, the city founded on the ruins of the Second Temple that defined the character of ancient Jerusalem.
“We were surprised to discover an ancient bathhouse structure right below the spot where a mikve is to be built,” said Dr. Ofer Sion, excavation director on behalf of the IAA.
“The bathhouse tiles – which are stamped with the symbols of the Fretensis 10th Legion, “LEG X FR” – were found in situ and it seems that they were used to cover a rock-hewn water channel located at the bottom of the pool. The hundreds of terra cotta roof tiles that were found on the floors of the pool indicate it was a covered structure,” he noted.
“It seems that the bathhouse was used by [soldiers of the 10th Legion] who were garrisoned there after suppressing the Bar Kochba uprising in 135 CE, when the pagan city Aelia Capitolina was established,” Sion continued.
“We know that the 10th Legion’s camp was situated within the limits of what is today the Old City, probably in the region of the Armenian Quarter. This assumption is reinforced by the discovery of the bathhouse in the nearby Jewish Quarter which shows that the multitude of soldiers was spread out and that they were also active outside the camp, in other parts of the Old City.”
An unusual imprint on one of the roof tiles caught the attention of the archeologists.
“Another interesting discovery that caused excitement during the excavation is the paw print of a dog that probably belonged to one of the soldiers,” Sion said.
“The paw print was impressed on the symbol of the legion on one of the roof tiles and it could have happened accidentally or have been intended as a joke.”
Dr. Yuval Baruch, the Jerusalem District archeologist for the IAA, noted the importance of the discovery, which will aid significantly in the study of post-destruction Jerusalem.
“Despite the very extensive archeological excavations that were carried out in the Jewish Quarter, so far not even one building has been discovered there that belonged to the Roman legion,” he said. “The absence of such a find led to the conclusion that Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city which was established after the destruction of Jerusalem, was small and limited in area.”
“The new find, together with other discoveries of recent years, shows that the city was considerably larger than what we previously estimated. Information about Aelia Capitolina is extremely valuable and can contribute greatly to research on Jerusalem because it was that city that determined the character and general appearance of ancient Jerusalem and [the city] as we know it today.
The shape of the city has determined the outline of its walls and the location of the gates to this very day,” Baruch added.
The IAA will integrate the remains of the ancient bathhouse into the plans for the new mikve.