The excavation focused on a hall annexed to the south of the cathedral of Hippos, which was a central church in the region. This hall contained a baptismal font, the second in the cathedral, making Hippos cathedral the only known church in the archaeological record with two designated halls containing baptismal fonts. Researchers suggest the larger hall may have been used for adult baptism, while the smaller hall may have served for infant and child baptism.
Other notable finds include a bronze lamp stand, the largest ever discovered in Israel, and a marble reliquary, the largest of its kind found in the country. The hall was destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD, burying the artefacts until their recent discovery. According to Dr Michael Eisenberg, careful research revealed the uniqueness of these objects for understanding Christian ritual practices in the cradle of Christianity by the Sea of Galilee.
The artefact is believed to have held three different oils used in baptismal rites. Study authors suggested that the cups of the stone held oil, possibly three different types, which may correlate with a local tradition of three-phase anointing during that baptismal rite. They added that baptismal rites involved threefold immersions, and anointing was often made before and after the immersion, although the details of the rite were constantly changing.
Traditional baptism involves anointing with two oils—one before and one after water baptism. Study authors noted that the use of different oils is attested in a few sources, but nowhere is it clearly specified that three different oils are used within baptismal rites. According to Dr Michael Eisenberg, baptism was one of the central rites of Christian communal life and gradually took shape during the Byzantine period.
The specific types of oils used in the three-phase anointing remain unknown, as does how widespread this practice was in early Christianity. It is also unclear what caused the hall's destruction in the 749 AD earthquake and whether there were any casualties.