When Luigi Maria Caliò, a classical archaeology professor, first introduced college students from the College of Catania to excavate an space of Ostia Antica, the traditional industrial port of name exterior Rome, he wasn’t positive what he may discover.
The dig website had not been explored in trendy occasions, regardless of its central location subsequent to a sq. that was as soon as the town’s headquarters for shippers and merchants and is as we speak famend for its mosaics.
“We thought we’d discover some warehouses or a fluvial port,” he stated. As an alternative, the archaeologists — budding and never — final summer season uncovered what will be the oldest current instance within the historic Roman world of a mikvah, a Jewish ritual bathtub. They’ve tentatively dated the construction to the late fourth or early fifth century.
“Such an vintage mikvah has by no means been discovered” exterior Israel, “so it’s a really related discover,” stated Riccardo Di Segni, Rome’s chief rabbi. He added that the invention contributed to additional illuminating the wealthy historical past of Jews in Rome and Ostia Antica.
Jews first got here to Rome within the second century B.C., and inhabited the town and its environs, together with Ostia, a half-hour practice journey exterior the capital metropolis.
Rome and Ostia to this present day are pockmarked with remnants of Jewish heritage: a menorah on the bas-relief of the first-century Arch of Titus; Jewish catacombs; sundry Roman-era inscriptions, and a synagogue at Ostia Antica.
The “structural and formal traits” of the room discovered at Ostia, with a pool deep sufficient for an individual to be immersed, are paying homage to a Jewish ritual bathtub, stated Alessandro D’Alessio, the director of Ostia Antica, as we speak an archaeological website. Additionally discovered on the website, on the backside of the pool, was an oil lamp with a determine of a menorah which archaeologists stated helped verify its identification.
The discover emerged from the primary excavation marketing campaign in many years straight carried out beneath the auspices of Ostia Antica archaeologists. The mikvah was situated inside a “giant and wealthy domus,” or home, seemingly two or extra tales excessive, Professor Caliò stated. Additionally excavated had been a kitchen, latrines, and two ovens, in addition to components of a portico that opened to different rooms.
The domus was inhabited till the sixth century after which deserted. Professor Caliò stated that over the centuries, the excavated rooms had been full of “a monstrous quantity of fabric” together with fragments of panels with fresco work that the archaeologists will try to reconstruct.
“We discovered the mikvah, we hope there will likely be a synagogue, however I can’t know but,” the professor stated in an interview.
“There’s nonetheless a lot to excavate,” Mr. D’Alessio advised reporters. Excavations will begin once more in June.
The Jewish presence at Ostia has lengthy been documented. Whereas laying an electrical energy pipeline southeast of Ostia Antica in 2009, staff got here throughout a first-century inscription testifying to the presence of Jews there. It’s believed to be the oldest inscription referring to Jews in Italy, stated Marina Lo Blundo, an archaeologist at Ostia Antica.
In 1961, one of many oldest identified synagogues within the Roman world was found through the building of a freeway to the brand new Fiumicino airport. That synagogue dates to the mid-fourth century, was seemingly destroyed in an earthquake in 443, and rebuilt for use via the sixth, in line with L. Michael White, director of the Ostia Synagogue Space Excavations.
“We’ve got a good quantity of proof that there have to be a Jewish group at Ostia from the second century C.E. onward,” he stated in a phone interview. “Our constructing was transformed right into a synagogue someday within the late fourth century” in all probability utilizing supplies from one other synagogue in Ostia, he added. “This was a Jewish group that was not hiding out,” he stated.
The synagogue is comparatively removed from the modern-day entrance to Ostia Antica, a little bit of a hike to see a few of the up to date artwork items which have been made for the location over the previous twenty years. Since a synagogue artwork venture started in 2002, dozens of artists have participated.
“It’s a magical place,” Adachiara Zevi, president of the Arte in Memoria affiliation, which organizes the biennial artwork venture. She stated she hoped to incorporate the mikvah in future tasks.
However not everyone seems to be embracing the brand new discover as additional proof of Jewish presence.
Primarily based on his expertise on the website, Professor White stated he could be “slightly cautious about calling” the brand new discover a Jewish ritual bathtub “till there’s some extra proof.”
On the synagogue, he had excavated an area that had been recognized by earlier archaeologists as a mikvah and located “a room maybe for ritual ablutions in its closing section, however it isn’t a mikvah,” he stated. There have been all types of swimming pools in Roman world, together with plunge swimming pools in bathtub complexes, or nymphaeums, and even Christian baptisteries, he stated.
Rabbi Di Segni stated on the presentation that he was sure that the brand new discover would elevate questions.
Students are typically crucial, he stated. “I’m sure that beginning tomorrow we will anticipate debate amongst archaeologists.”
