Dr Shimon Gibson, a British Archaelogist, has discovered a cave west of Jerusalem with a ritual baptism pool, rock carvings and pottery, after five years of excavation in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

The archaeological findings are the most substantial found with regards to evidence of John the Baptist and his followers. Prior to this finding the most recignised find had been a number of 16th and 17th century paintings which had been found to be connected to the Biblical figure.

Inside the unusually large cave, sized 24m by 3.5m, the excavation team found 250,000 shards of pottery apparently from small ritual jars used in the immersion process during baptism.

Another feature is the 28 steps leading to a chamber at the bottom of the cave. On the right, a niche is carved into the wall used in Jewish ritual baths for discarding the clothes before immersion. Near the end of the stairs, there is an oval stone with a foot-shaped indentation with a shoe size 11. Just above, a soapdish-like niche apparently held ritual oil that would flow through a small channel onto the believer‘s right foot.

On the walls near the ceiling, cravings claimed to tell the story of John the Baptist’s life have been found. Renderings of John in baptism scenes always show him using the right arm for blessing and with his staff clutched in his left hand or leaning against his left arm, as explained by Dr Gibson.

The location of the cave has given strong support to the integrity of the site. It is close to the village of Ain Karim, the Baptist’s traditional birthplace according to early Christian sources. It was also the area in which he spent his youth and early adult life.

Dr Gibson commented, “For the first time, we can point to a spot and say it is highly likely that this is where John the Baptist was baptising and undertaking his rituals. That is amazing.”

Many relgious leaders were excited by the breaking news as John the Baptist is one of the most important characters in the gospel. Physical evidence for the existence of John the Baptist could have a huge impact on Christian history.

Dr Gibson, whose excavation was sponsored by the University of North Carolina in America, said he expects the cave to become a shrine once again to the Baptist.

But some scholars said Gibson's finds aren't enough to support his theory, and one colleague said that short of an inscription with John's name in the cave, there could never be conclusive proof of his presence there.