How do you move an entire 2,000-year-old purification bath, weighing 25 tons?
In a complex engineering-conservation operation, the Israel Antiquities Authority's Conservation Department recently transferred a Second Temple-era mikveh, discovered during an archaeological excavation in the Carmei Gat neighborhood of Kiryat Gat, for safekeeping at the National Treasures Department. The operation was carried out with the aim of protecting the ancient structure from damage during the neighborhood's development work. When construction is completed, the mikveh will be returned to the site, and integrated into an open public space that will stand at the heart of the new neighborhood.
Lifting the 2,000-year-old purification bath onto the truck. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
The purification bath was discovered in an excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority, with the Israel Lands Authority financing all costs of the salvage excavations necessitated during the neighborhood’s construction, to the tune of about 28 million NIS. Discovering this ancient ritual bath provides clear evidence of the existence of a Jewish settlement in this area approximately 2,000 years ago. The excavation of the settlement also uncovered stone measuring vessels, which according to Jewish law do not become ritually impure, and which were therefore widely used among Jews during the Second Temple period.
According to Elena Kogan-Zahavi, Maayan Margulis and Shira Lifshitz, Excavation Directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The Jewish settlement we discovered here is the first and the only known one in this area. In the Judean Lowlands, many Jewish settlements from the Roman period are known, but in the seam between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev – no Jewish settlement was known until now.”
The excavation findings indicate the settlement was apparently abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century CE. Only about 500 years later, during the Byzantine period, it revived – but this time with an entirely different population composition.
As development work progressed, the Israel Antiquities Authority's Conservation Administration was faced with an unusual task: the need to temporarily move an ancient structure from its location, weighing about 25 tons and measuring about 4 meters wide, and transfer it in its entirety to the Israel’s National Treasures Department.
The purification bath as discovered on site. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
Four members of the Conservation Administration worked for about two weeks around the mikveh, which was buried in the ground. First digging around it, they exposed it on all sides. Then, close-knit drilling was carried out underneath it through which steel beams were inserted. This infrastructure strengthened the ancient pool and enabled it to be detached from the ground.
The ancient plaster on the mikveh walls also required special treatment. Anticipating that vibrations during lifting and traveling could easily damage it and cause it to peel off, it was covered with gauze and adhesives. The entire structure was lined and reinforced with foam material to allow it to safely withstand the lifting and the jolts along the journey.
But even after the mikveh was detached from the ground, the challenge was far from over. Due to the distance between the crane's base and the mikveh, a huge crane with a lifting capacity of 300 tons was required to lift the 25-ton structure. The mikveh's unusual width – about 4 meters – also required the use of a wide-load transport vehicle.
The 2,000-year-old purification bath loaded onto the truck. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
Transporting the mikveh to the Beit Guvrin storehouse became an operation in itself. In order to transport this large cargo, the road was closed to traffic, and escort vehicles drove in front of and behind the truck.
“Once you lift up a structure like this, there is no going back,” says Eyal Kaho, Senior Conservator at the Israel Antiquities Authority, who led the operation. “If it falls apart – we've lost the mikveh. Therefore, every detail must be considered in advance. The day before an operation like this, you don't sleep. You're under pressure, because the responsibility is yours and there’s simply no price that can compensate for mistakes. Even after 36 years at the Israel Antiquities Authority, every time, the adrenaline rises anew.”
Conservator Eyal Kaho at work. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
According to the Minister of Heritage, Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, “The ritual bath uncovered in Kiryat Gat adds an important dimension to our understanding of Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel during the Second Temple period. The complex operation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority to relocate it intact reflects our commitment as a nation to preserving our heritage assets, even amid rapid development. Its future incorporation into the neighborhood’s public space will enable residents and visitors to encounter tangible evidence of Jewish life from 2,000 years ago as part of their daily lives.”
Banner image: Lifting the 2,000-year-old purification bath onto the truck. Photo: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority