New flooring leads to discovery of ancient bath in Jerusalem village

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Jerusalem family has found a 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath under their house while renovating the living room floor, Israel's Antiquities Authority said on Wednesday. Pottery vessels inside the rock-hewn bath helped archaeologists date the discovery to the 1st century. The house is in the village of Ein Karem, the traditional birthplace of John the Baptist and now a Jerusalem neighbourhood. A rug-covered trapdoor, built into the new floor after the bath was found, now marks the spot where stone stairs descend into the ancient chamber, which is 3.5 metres (11 feet) long, 2.4 metres (8 feet) wide and 1.8 metres (6 feet) deep. The Antiquities Authority said that despite New Testament references to the "City of Judea", believed to be where Ein Karem is now located, archaeological remains from Jesus's time have rarely been found in the village. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)