A unique structure, which was uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority on the eastern slope of the City of David, dates back to the First Temple Period and was used for ritual religious practices.
The structure contains eight rock-hewn rooms which contained various elements of ritual practice, including a standing stone (matzeva), an olive oil press and a winepress, both used to provide oil and wine for the rituals, and a carved installation with a drainage channel, which might have held an altar, along with several v-shaped marks carved in the floor, the purpose of which is not yet clear.
In a small cave on the edge of the structure, a cache of objects dating to the eighth century BCE was uncovered, including cooking pots, jars bearing fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals with decorative motifs, and grinding stones used for crushing grains.
Eli Shukron, who directed the excavation for the IAA, said, “The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BCE, possibly as part of King Hezekiah’s religious reform. According to the Bible, Hezekiah sought to centralize worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, abolishing the ritual sites scattered across the kingdom. The Bible describes how, during the First Temple period, additional ritual sites operated outside the Temple, and two kings of Judah — Hezekiah and Josiah — implemented reforms to eliminate these sites and concentrate worship at the Temple.”
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The structure contains eight rock-hewn rooms which contained various elements of ritual practice, including a standing stone (matzeva), an olive oil press and a winepress, both used to provide oil and wine for the rituals, and a carved installation with a drainage channel, which might have held an altar, along with several v-shaped marks carved in the floor, the purpose of which is not yet clear.
In a small cave on the edge of the structure, a cache of objects dating to the eighth century BCE was uncovered, including cooking pots, jars bearing fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals with decorative motifs, and grinding stones used for crushing grains.
Eli Shukron, who directed the excavation for the IAA, said, “The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BCE, possibly as part of King Hezekiah’s religious reform. According to the Bible, Hezekiah sought to centralize worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, abolishing the ritual sites scattered across the kingdom. The Bible describes how, during the First Temple period, additional ritual sites operated outside the Temple, and two kings of Judah — Hezekiah and Josiah — implemented reforms to eliminate these sites and concentrate worship at the Temple.”
More
Biblical-era structure discovered in Jerusalem's City of David, used during the First Temple Period
A unique structure, which was uncovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority on the eastern slope of the City of David, dates back to the First Temple Period and was used for ritual religious
www.christianpost.com
