Jerusalem family finds 2,000-year old mikveh underneath living room

Ha'aretz ^ | Tammuz 14, 5775 (July 1, 2015) | Nir Hasson

[SunkenCiv]

The living room in Ein Kerem - and staircase hewn out of bedrock, leading to a Second-Temple era ritual bath. Photo by Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the IAA

[SunkenCiv]

[21twelve]

I’m guessing whoever built the house in the first place discovered it 20 to 50 years ago. But, as any wise developer would do, kept quiet and built over it.

“So what should we do Harvey?”

“Don’t do nothing Shem - those guys from the museum will be all over this - we’ll never sell ANY of these homes!”

[ForYourChildren]

Cool?

66-70 CE?? Christian Era?

[Lonely Bull]

66-70 CE?? Christian Era?

Sometimes "CE" is meant that way, but more often it's "Common Era." I wouldn't be surprised to see this usage at Haaretz.

[Tax-chick]

CE = “Common Era,” and BCE = “Before the Common Era”

It’s a weak attempt to conceal the fact that the dividing line is (a guess at) the date of the birth of Jesus.

66-70 means they got the thing built just in time for the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem and mass deportations after the first Jewish Revolt.

[SunkenCiv]

CE is Common Era, as you probably well know.

[riverrunner]

I most likely would have reinforced the house floor or ceiling of it and used it for a bomb shelter.

[tumblindice]

So they can put that on MLS as having another full bath?

[Paladin2]

Wouldn’t the common era start at ~700AD?

[Paladin2]

Make that ~570 AD

[ForYourChildren]

Hmmm “CE is Common Era, as you probably well know.”

And CE starts at what point in history?

[spokeshave]

Those wacky Israelis....

I guess that beats finding Richard II under a parking lot

[HandyDandy]

I don’t think anything can beat the discovery of the mummified remains of Ramses I in a small museum of “curiosities” in Niagara back in 1999, where it had been for 140yrs.

[Tax-chick]

That was Richard III.

[spokeshave]

....So Richard improved with age

[Tax-chick]

They’re all dead, anyway.

[Phinneous]

0

[Phinneous]

“Weak attempt”

Nah, just the Jewish convention. We’re stubborn.

Hey— maybe the got the dates mixed up and it’s really a “Baptizing Pool” of sorts. Now, where the heck could those who baptize have gotten such an idea? Hmmmm.... Let me go dunk in my ritualistic, scripturally-ordained Jew pool and ponder the potential source...

[ViLaLuz]

CE is the PC replacement for AD.