Toilet

Toilet

This is a picture of a carved stone with a hole in the center of it that was the covering of a toilet!  The residents of the House of Ahiel must have been part of the elite of Jerusalem to have such a luxury!  Such artifacts from the BC era are very rare!

The name, "House of Ahiel," is based upon an inscribed potsherd (ostracon) that was found in it.   Because of elite objects found nearby—including this toilet—it is suggested that this was an "upscale" district of Jerusalem!


For a very helpful summary article describing this area, please see Cahill, Jane M. “Jerusalem in David and Solomon's Time.” Biblical Archaeology Review 30 (2004): 20–31, 62–63.