April 2013: In Jerusalem, Israel, archaeologists have uncovered a ritual pool [mikveh] from the Second Temple era near a highway construction site. The discovery came during excavations carried out in advance of paving the Ora-Masua’ah highway in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Kiryat Menachem. According to Israel Antiquities Authority excavation director Benyamin Storchan, “Numerous ritual baths have been excavated in Jerusalem in recent years, but the water supply system that we exposed in this excavation is unique and unusual.

The pool consists of an underground chamber entered by way of steps. The mikveh received the rainwater from three collecting basins (otzar) that were hewn on the roof of the bath, and the pure water was conveyed onside the chamber through channels. The pool, located in a picturesque valley with ancient agriculture, was uncovered a short distance from houses in the neighbourhood. It conforms to all the Jewish laws and the walls were treated with a special kind of plaster, Storchan stated.

The ritual baths usually consist of a closed cavity that was supplied with rainwater conveyed from a small rock-cut pool located nearby. The complex that was exposed at this site is a more sophisticated and intricate system, apparently associated with a settlement that was situated there in the Second Temple period. Due to the rainfall regime and arid conditions of the region, the inhabitants sought special techniques that would make it possible to store every drop of water. The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Moriah Company involved in the area’s development are “working to make this ancient treasure a site for the benefit of the residents and visitors,” according to the IAA.

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November 2012: Two skeletons were discovered at the bottom of a rare Stone Age well being excavated in the Jezreel Valley. Both skeletons were dated along with the well to approximately 8,500 years ago. Dating to the Neolithic period, the well was discovered while archaeologists were excavating at ‘Enot Nisanit’ along the western fringes of the Jezreel Valley. One set of skeletal remains was female being that of a woman, approximately 19 years old and other other was male, a bit older. How and why both came to be in the well, whether by accident or murder, “remains a mystery,” an IAA official stated

The well was connected to an ancient farming settlement whereby the inhabitants used it for their subsistence and living. The upper part of the well was built of stones and its lower part was hewn in the bedrock. Numerous artefacts were recovered from inside the well indicating the identity of the people who quarried it, were the first farmers of the Jezreel Valley. The artefacts discovered included,deeply denticulated sickle blades knapped from flint which were used for harvesting, as well as arrow heads and stone implements. Excavation of the well shaft yielded animal bones, organic finds and charcoal, which will enable future studies about domestication of plants and animals and also allow researchers to determine the exact age of the well.

Yotam Tepper, IAA excavation director stated,”What is clear is that after these unknown individuals fell into the well it was no longer used for the simple reason that the well water was contaminated and was no longer potable.” The excavation was directed by the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to enlarging the Yogev Junction by the National Roads Authority. It will be conserved and displayed to the public.

The two oldest wells in the world were previously exposed in Cyprus, according to Dr. Omri Barzilai, head of the IAA Prehistory Branch.