Ritual Baths (Mikvehs) in Synagogues: Between Law (Halakhah) and Piousness

The discovery of mikvehs in Early Roman Period synagogues fits well with the discovery of many domestic mikvehs – in some settlements, a mikveh was unearthed in almost every house – and together seem to indicate that large segments of Jewish society followed halakhaic norms concerning purity and impurity. Mikvehs are so prevalent, that the synagogues in which mikvehs were discovered are surrounded by houses with mikvehs, which raises the question why were so many public mikvehs needed.