A Jewish ritual bath comes to the fore in Ostia Antica. The old port of Rome Crossroads of coexistence and exchange of cultures – Rome

Roma – It’s the Mikveh Parent never came to light outside the borders of Israel.
The ancient Jewish ritual bath resulted in the archaeological park of Ostia Antica, reinforces the historical consciousness of what the port (and the door of Rome) has always represented a lively intersection of coexistence and exchange of cultures, a container of tolerance between different peoples found their association in Roman civilization.
Deze plaats, die een single vertegenwoordigt in het Middellandse -Zeegebied van het Romeinse tijd buiten het land Israël, die aantoont hoe diep de Joodse aanwezigheid in het hart van Romanaliteit was, kwam aan het licht van de opgravingen uitgevoerd in het archeologisch park van Ostia Antica en juni en augustus laatst, gemaakt in het OPS – Ostia post scriptum project, door de ministerie van cultuur, door de directeur van de musea.

“The discovery of an old Jewish ritual pray, or MikvehWho came to light in the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica – said that the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli – strengthens the historical consciousness of this place as a true intersection of coexistence and exchange of cultures. It is precisely in Ostia that Rome welcomes and houses the original cries of the other Mediterranean civilizations when, when they consolidate his power in Italy, projects into the mare Nostrum. We are proud that this discovery is the result of the resumption of excavation activities that are directly promoted by the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica, thanks to a financing of the MIC that will continue to invest through this discovery, which has made it possible on the one hand to return to promote research activities and on the other to make it better to be expanded and the areas of the territories. “.

Ostia Antica, Mikveh | Photo: © Emanuele Antonio Minerva and Agnese Sbaffi – Ministry of Culture

The discovery took place in an absolute central part of the city, near the old course of the Tiber, under the construction of the great horrhea in the west, the Republican sanctuary of the four temples, the Mitreo of the seven bulbs and the Domus of Apuleius in the south and the square of the companies in the East. A lot has been brought to light within a large building, between refined paving mosaics with white and black Tesserae, a small semi-hypogoeum compartment with a good underlined Mikveh.

“This is an absolutely extraordinary discovery – explains Alessandro d’Alessio, director of the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica – because they were not known before Mikva’ot of the Roman era outside of Judea, Galilee and Idumea Antiche, and which can only confirm the extent of the continuous presence, the role and importance of the Jewish community in Ostia during the whole imperial age (if not before): from the beginning of the I (era to which the oldest inscription known in Italy That iudahei mentions, found in the nearby necropolis or pianabella), dates back to the v-vi, when the synagogue. Ostiense, the most old of the western Mediterranean Sea (was built at the end of the end of the III century) and the only preserved in Rome, stopped to live after the definitive abandonment of the city. “

Ostia Antica, Mikveh | Photo: © Emanuele Antonio Minerva and Agnese Sbaffi – Ministry of Culture

The gaze crosses a small rectangular compartment, nestled by a semi -round Apse with different construction phases. It is accessible from the west side due to a large marble threshold and is almost for the entire width of a scale of three steps with remarkable traces of wear and flanked by two brickwork shoulders covered in hydraulic plaster. A niche, covered with blue plaster and shells, is framed by a pair of stucco -covered columns that rest on a top supported by brick planks. The excavation of the layers of abandonment has interesting materials such as plasters of plaster, lamps, marble fragments of an epigraaf and small images. From the excavation of the well, an alfalfa is decorated on the disc from the image of a menora (candlestick with seven arms) and through a dick (palm branch) on the bottom, as well as an intact glass glass datable both between the fifth and sixth century AD after Christ after Christ

“The discovery of this site, which has the characteristics of a Miqwè – remembers Riccardo di Segni, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community of Rome – is of extreme interest in many aspects, archaeological, historical, rituals. The history of the Jews of Rome today is enriched with a native monument of monument Traditions: The discovered environment is, among other things, functional and elegant.

Ostia Antica, Mikveh | Photo: © Emanuele Antonio Minerva and Agnese Sbaffi – Ministry of Culture

Intended for diving of people (but also of objects) for purification purposes, i Mikva’ots They usually present themselves as rectangular tanks, usually covered, dug into the ground and covered with hydraulic plaster, with a row of steps to occupy the entire width, connected to a source, with a well or a dumping collection of rainwater. Essential requirements of a mikveh are the diet of rain or spring water and the depth, as possible to make the full immersion of the body of an average shape possible.