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‘Atiqot 95 (2019)
ISBN 2948-040X
Ritual Baths (
Miqva‘ot
), Cisterns and Other Remains on the Fringes of the Ancient Settlement in Ben Shemen
(Hebrew, pp. 1*–18*; English summary, pp. 255–256)
Ronit Lupu
Keywords: Shephelat Lod, installations, hydraulic plaster, Jewish religion, burial tomb, arch, miniature bottle
The excavation within the precincts of the ancient site of Ben Shemen revealed three ritual baths (
miqva‘ot
), four cisterns, a quarry and a cave. The finds were mainly retrieved from fills within the installations, including pottery, glass and coins dating from the Hellenistic, Early Roman, Late Roman–Byzantine and Mamluk periods. Of special interest are the finds from the Early Roman period, dating between the Great Jewish Revolt and the Bar Kokhba Revolt (mid-first to the beginning of the second centuries CE). These add important information regarding the landscape of the Ben Shemen area and the larger region of the Lodian Shephelah during the Second Temple period.