The Byzantine pool long shown to pilgrims as Siloam never quite matched John's story. Then a burst sewer pipe in 2004 forced repairs a little downhill, and the repair crew's backhoe struck monumental steps. Excavation revealed the true pool of Jesus' day: a grand public bathing and purification pool, tiers of stone steps descending on at least three sides, coins in the plaster fixing its period. The blind man of John 9 was sent to a real and imposing address.
- What it is
- A broad stepped pool at the southern tip of the City of David, fed from the Gihon spring
- Date of artifact
- 1st century BC – AD 70
- Discovered
- City of David, Jerusalem, exposed during sewer repairs, 2004 (Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron)
- Where it is now
- In situ, Jerusalem (excavation ongoing)
- Related to
- The pool where Jesus sent the man born blind to wash
- पवित्र शास्त्र
- John 9:1–11
What this find showsThe Gospel's setting is precise: this pool stood, in this form, exactly when John's narrative requires it.
What it does not proveAs with Bethesda, the site confirms the stage, not the healing performed on it.