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A mikveh of impressive dimensions was recently discovered during the archaeological excavations in the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David,. The mikveh carved into the rock was exposed in the eastern part of the excavation area, an area where the bedrock is close to the surface. The discovery of this mikveh links the current excavations with the history of archaeological research in the City of David, since the mikveh is located in an area that was excavated at the time by the British expedition headed by Mrs. Kathleen Kenyon. At the end of her excavation of area M, which opened in the area of the Givati Parking Lot, Kenyon covered the whole of it with fill dirt and modern waste.
As part of the renewed excavations in the Givati Parking Lot by the Antiquities Authority and under the direction of Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchahanovitz, the mikveh in question was cleaned and re-exposed, the discovery of which was reported by Kenyon in her initial publications. The purpose of this mikveh was changed during the Byzantine period, and it was converted to serve as a water reservoir. The carved steps of the mikveh were thus removed, but their inscription is clearly visible on its sides.
This mikveh is part of a system of plastered installations carved into the rock that were found in close proximity to each other. At this stage it is already clear that the majority of these date to the end of the period of the Second Temple (the ancient Roman period), and served as part of an extensive purification complex. The boundaries of this purity complex, as well as its architectural connections, are not clear for confirmation at this stage, and the excavation in the coming period will focus on its full exposure in order to answer these questions.
