Was this pool used by early Christians?
Archaeologists recently announced the discovery of a 1,500-year-old pool that may have been the site of the Ethiopian eunuch ’s baptism. Unearthed between 2012 and 2016, the pool was part of a system of pools on the site of an ancient church near Jerusalem. It’s now part of at Ein Hanniya national park. Ancient Pool Unearthed According to the Israel Antiquities Authority , the pools date back from between the 4th and 6th centuries A.D. The excavation director, Irina Zilberbod, said the pools were the most significant finding in the excavation. “This pool was built in the center of a spacious complex at the foot of a church that once stood here. Roofed colonnades were built around the pool that gave access to residential wings.” “It’s difficult to know what the pool was used for — whether for irrigation, washing, landscaping or perhaps as part of baptismal ceremonies at the site,” Zilberbod continued. She noted that the pool’s water drained to a fountain. The fountain is the first o