A Canaanite temple at Lachish

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Rare ‘smiting gods’ among artifacts found at 12th century BCE Canaanite temple. Once-in-a-career Bronze Age findings from Lachish described as ‘breathtaking’ by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel, who published a comprehensive report on 2013-2017 excavations (Amanda Borschel-Dan).

“This excavation has been breathtaking,” said lead archaeologist Professor Yosef Garfinkel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology in a press release on Monday. The excavation report, “The Level VI North-East Temple at Tel Lachish,” was recently published in the academic journal Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant.

The inscribed ostracon fragment was published in 2015. I noted it here.

In 2017 there was a report of the discovery of a 2,200-year-old Idumean temple or palace at Lachish.

Also, 2020 has seen reports of a substantial Iron Age temple at a site called Tel Moza (Tel Motza, Tel Moẓa, Tel Moẓah).

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