Researchers in Israel have made a historically significant find dating back to the days of the First Temple. At a site near the Old City (City of David) in Jerusalem, they unearthed the remains of a structure that they believe was used for worship and ceremonial purposes nearly 3,000 years ago, at a time when the First Temple was open just a short distance away.
This site is most unique, as it appears to be the only known structure dedicated to ritual observances from First Temple days that has ever been found in Jerusalem. According to a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), these types of facilities have only rarely been found in the land of Israel, and the fact that this structure was literally right down the street from the First Temple makes this a true history-making discovery.
Dating back to the eighth century BC, the newly unearthed structure is large, covering 2,370 square feet (220 sq m). The Israel Antiquities Authority confirmed that this ancient building “features eight rock-hewn rooms containing an altar, a standing stone, an oil press, and a winepress,” all of which were easy to identify given the structure’s well-preserved state. The altar and the standing stone were both common in places of ancient worship, making it clear this building had been used for religious ceremonies or for prayer vigils.
Interestingly, the IAA archaeologists involved in the excavations found evidence to suggest the worshipping site had been shut down and boarded up, likely during an ancient crackdown on worship outside of the Temple Mount, the IAA said. During this crackdown it would have been hard for authorities to miss this facility, as it was “used for ritual purposes while the Temple still stood on the Temple Mount, just a few hundred meters away,” the IAA statement noted.
- 1800-Year-Old Roman Era Theater Found at Jerusalem’s Western Wall
- First Temple Period Palace Discovered Under The Heart Of Old Jerusalem
Ancient Worshipping Practices Frozen in Time
The City of David is now preserved as an archaeological park next to the Old City. It has been around for thousands of years and contains what are believed to have been structures built during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
In reality, the first outlines of the ancient place of worship were first discovered in 2010 – and a small section of them had actually been unearthed back in 1909, by British adventurer Montaque Parker. The latter was searching for the Ark of the Covenant at the time, and thought a hidden structure located not far from the site of the First Temple was a good place to look.
- Rare First Temple Period Toilet Discovered In Jerusalem
- A Hanukkah Miracle: Cache of 2,000-Year-Old Coins Found in Israel
Artistic reconstruction of rock-cut Rooms 1−5 at the end of the excavation (S. Kweller/IAA).
Although the structure was indeed discovered a while ago, the excavations and the analysis of what was found took some time to complete, excavation director Eli Shukron told The Times of Israel. Fortunately, this job was ultimately made easier by the fact that the building was so well-preserved, a result of the fact that it had been shut down and closed up by authorities in the eighth century BC, never to be opened again (until its recent discovery, of course).
Everything that was discovered inside the excavated structure is explained in an article just published in the Israel Antiquities Authority journal ‘Atiqot, authored by Shukron and his fellow researhers Liora Freud, Helena Roth and Reli Avisar from Tel Aviv University and Efrat Bocher from the Ancient Jerusalem Research Center. The study authors conclude that the building was used by residents of Judah for religious practices but was then closed and abandoned during a vigorous period of religious reform launched by authorities about 2,800 years ago.
“The structure ceased to function… possibly as part of King Hezekiah’s religious reform,” Shukron said.
Artistic depiction of the ritual practices in the rock-hewn rooms. (S. Kweller/IAA)
The Results of King Hezekiah’s Initiative Revealed
According to an account in the Bible, King Hezekiah decided to centralize worship activities on the Temple Mount, after which he ordered the closure of houses of worship found everywhere in the Kingdom of Judah being abandoned. The structure discovered in the City of David was almost certainly one of those abandoned facilities, Shukron said.
“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,” he said. “When we began excavating… we discovered that the site had been sealed with fill from the 8th century BC, indicating it had fallen out of use during that time. The standing stone we uncovered remained upright in its original place, and the other rooms in the structure were also well-preserved.”
Each room in the building served a different purpose. While oil and wine were produced in some, another featured “a carved installation with a drainage channel,” likely used as an altar, while another room had “mysterious V-shaped carving marks” on its floor, which “may have served as a base for a tripod –- an installation with three legs used for ritual activities,” the IAA explained in its statement.
An 8th-century BC scarab seal unearthed in the City of David excavation. (Vladimir Naikhin/Israel Antiquities Authority)
The standing stone was found in a separate room, which undoubtedly was used for ritual observances and special ceremonies. A fascinating treasure trove of artifacts were recovered from a small cave adjacent to the structure, including cooking pots, ceramic jars with ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals with decorative faces, and grinding stones used for crushing grains.
Eventually, the plan is to open the site for public viewing. For now, excavations will continue, as the researchers look for additional objects that will tell them more about daily life and religious practices in the days of the First Temple.
Top image: Facebook screenshot of First Temple-era structure unearthed in the City of David. Source: Kobi Harati/City of David/IAA
By Nathan Falde
