ScienceFeatureUpdated Oct 9, 2026

Israeli officials remove intact 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath from Kiryat Gat site

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Israel's Antiquities Authority removed an intact Second Temple-period Jewish ritual bath, known as a mikveh, from the ground by crane. Reports put its weight at about 25 tons and its age at roughly 2,000 years. The structure was found at an archaeological site in Kiryat Gat, a city about 35 miles southwest of Jerusalem. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the removal in September, and its archaeologists say the find points to a Jewish settlement previously unknown to scholars. Fox News notes that the bath dates to roughly the period of Jesus' life, while adding that Scripture does not say he used mikvehs. Reports differ on whether the site was an excavation or a construction site.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

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Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

A Second Temple-period Jewish ritual bath, or mikveh, about 2,000 years old, was removed from the ground in one piece.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Fox News, Breitbart News
The bath weighs about 25 tons.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Fox News, Breitbart News
The bath was found in Kiryat Gat, about 35 miles southwest of Jerusalem.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Right
Fox News, Breitbart News
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the removal in September.
One side only: the rightReported byFar Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Right
Fox News, Breitbart News
Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists say the find points to a Jewish settlement previously unknown to scholars.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
The Washington Times
Far Right
Fox News, Breitbart News
Fox News reports that the bath dates roughly to the time of Jesus’ life and ministry, but that Scripture does not explicitly say he used mikvehs.
One outletFox News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

The type of site where the bath was found
The Washington Times describes an Israeli construction site, while Fox News and Breitbart describe an archaeological excavation or site.
When the bath was removed
The Washington Times says it was lifted out this summer. Fox News and Breitbart say the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the removal in September.

How each side tells it

Compare views

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets
Headlines lead with the age and the link to Jesus, with Fox News and Breitbart, both Far Right, calling it a discovery or treasure, while The Washington Times, rated Right, stays with the lift and the archaeologists’ account of an Israeli construction site.
PHOTOS — Jewish Ritual Bath Dating to the Time of Jesus Found in Israel: 'Illuminating the World of the Bible'
Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right1
Jewish treasure

In the outlets’ own words

Sensational language
Jewish treasureMore neutral: ancient Jewish ritual bath
Calling an archaeological structure a treasure adds a value judgement and a sense of windfall that the reporting does not establish.
Archeologists have found a 2,000-year-old Jewish treasure in Israel that dates to the time of Jesus.
Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

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See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

Link to the time of Jesus
Age and weight of the bath
Removal intact by crane
Previously unknown settlement

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Breitbart NewsFar Right
PHOTOS — Jewish Ritual Bath Dating to the Time of Jesus Found in Israel: 'Illuminating the World of the Bible'
Archeologists have found a 2,000-year-old Jewish treasure in Israel that dates to the time of Jesus.
Oct 9, 2026Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
The Washington TimesRight
Ancient Jewish ritual bath from time of Jesus lifted intact from Israeli construction site
Israeli archaeologists lifted a 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath weighing about 25 tons out of the ground in one piece this summer. Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists say the find points to a Jewish settlement previously unknown to scholars.
Oct 8, 2026Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)
Fox NewsFar Right
Massive 2,000-year-old discovery from time of Jesus emerges remarkably intact
A 25-ton mikveh from the Second Temple period was extracted intact from Kiryat Gat, revealing a previously unknown Jewish settlement near Jerusalem. Author Dinesh D'Souza weighed in.
Oct 8, 2026Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

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Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
Fox News, Oct 8, 8:00 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Fox NewsFar RightOct 8, 8:00 AM EDT
The Washington TimesRightOct 8, 11:53 AM EDT
Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 9, 4:17 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Israeli officials remove intact 2,000-year-old Jewish ritual bath from Kiryat Gat site

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

PHOTOS — Jewish Ritual Bath Dating to the Time of Jesus Found in Israel: 'Illuminating the World of the Bible'

Ancient Jewish ritual bath from time of Jesus lifted intact from Israeli construction site

Massive 2,000-year-old discovery from time of Jesus emerges remarkably intact

How the coverage built up

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