Ancient Jewish Ritual Bath Unearthed in Ostia Antica!
Archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery in Ostia Antica, the ancient port city near Rome—a Mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, dating back to the late 4th or early 5th century CE. This incredible find sheds new light on the long-established Jewish community in Ostia and is now recognised as the oldest Mikveh ever found outside Israel.
A Surprising Discovery
A team from the University of Catania, working in collaboration with the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park, embarked on an excavation expecting to uncover commercial structures such as warehouses or a river port. Instead, they unearthed a grand Roman domus (house), featuring intricate black-and-white mosaics, frescoes, a kitchen, latrines, two ovens, and an immersion pool—which has now been confirmed as a Mikveh.
Photo Credit: Ostia Antica Archaeological Park
The Mikveh was constructed in a semi-underground, rectangular room, fully enclosed and featuring a semicircular apse. Entry was via a three-step staircase leading down to a brick floor. The bath itself included a well, originally made of cement and later reinforced with bricks. It met the traditional Jewish requirements for a Mikveh, including a fresh water source, likely supplied through a conduit and groundwater collection.
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence linking the bath to Jewish ritual practice was the discovery of an oil lampfeaturing a menorah and a lulav (palm branch) at the bottom of the Mikveh.
A Testament to Ostia’s Jewish Community
“This is an extraordinary discovery,” said Alessandro D’Alessio, Director of the Ostia Antica Archaeological Park. “No Roman Mikveh had previously been identified outside ancient Judea, Galilee, and Idumea. This confirms the enduring presence, role, and significance of the Jewish community in Ostia throughout the Imperial Age.”
Photo Credit: Ostia Antica Archaeological Park
Historical records and archaeological findings have long indicated a Jewish presence in Ostia, dating back to at least the 1st century CE. Funerary inscriptions and other epigraphic evidence confirm a thriving Jewish community during that time. In 1961, one of the oldest synagogues in the Roman world was uncovered in Ostia, originally built in the 2nd century CE, rebuilt in 443 CE after an earthquake, and used until the city’s decline in the 6th century.
Future Prospects
The excavation, led by Professor Luigi Maria Caliò from the University of Catania, was the first to take place in this part of Ostia Antica for decades. The domus in which the Mikveh was found remained in use until the 6th century before being abandoned.
Plans are already in motion to integrate the Mikveh into future cultural and historical projects at Ostia Antica. Excavations are set to continue in June, and archaeologists hope that further discoveries will provide even greater insight into the history of the Jewish community in ancient Rome’s bustling port city.