Archaeologists in northern Israel have uncovered evidence that bathing played a role in ancient Phoenician religious practices. A study by Dr. Levana Tsfania-Zias, published in Levant, details how ritual bathing was likely part of worship at the sacred site of Tel Dan, where Phoenician traditions continued for nearly 500 years. The findings shed light on how ritual, water, and faith intertwined in ancient communities.The underlying article in Levant is behind the subscription wall:The most compelling discovery is a small bathing facility built during the reconstruction of the temple after the Seleucid conquest. ...
Ritual purity among the Phoenicians in the sacred precinct at Tel Dan in the Hellenistic and Roman periodsCross file under Phoenician Watch.
Levana Tsfania-Zias
Pages 79-100 | Published online: 22 May 2025
Cite this article https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2025.2498295Abstract
Excavations in the sacred precinct at Tel Dan revealed two water facilities from different phases — a ritual bathing unit from the Hellenistic period (beginning of the 2nd century BCE) and a fountain house from the Late Roman period (beginning of the 3rd–4th centuries CE). This paper presents and analyses the architectural and spatial development of the Tel Dan sanctuary in these periods, highlighting the hydraulic installations as integral components in the precinct’s public spaces and rituals. The presence of these water installations, together with other elements in the sacred precinct’s material culture, suggest a Phoenician religious and social praxis.
Tel Dan is best known for the fragmentary, Aramaic, ninth-century BCE Tel Dan Stele excavated there. Follow the link for many posts.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.