Ritual Purification and Bathing: The Location and Function of Siloam Pool and Solomon’s Pool in Second Temple Period Jerusalem

Excavations at the southern tip of the ancient city of Jerusalem uncovered four pools from the Early Roman period: two, Silwan Pool and Birkat el-Ḥamra, within the city walls, and two smaller pools on the outskirts of the city. This paper provides archaeological data that supports the identification of Birkat el-Ḥamra with Solomon’s Pool and the Silwan Pool with the Siloam Pool, both of which are mentioned in contemporary historical sources. Furthermore, the function of the pools is discussed: the larger, Solomon’s Pool, seems to have been an open swimming pool, while the Siloam Pool was used for ceremonies and ritual immersion of pilgrims arriving at the city in the late Second Temple period.