An ancient
city gate and shrine that King Hezekiah ordered to be destroyed during the
eighth century B.C., according to the Hebrew Bible, are seeing the light of day
following an excavation in Israel, archaeologists reported.
The so-called
gate-shrine is likely evidence of actions taken by King Hezekiah, the 12th king
of Judea, to abolish idols, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority
(IAA). Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, was known as a godless man, and as soon as
Hezekiah ascended the throne, he ordered the destruction of all of the false
idols (objects, other deities or animals that people worshipped) in the
kingdom, according to Chabad.org, a website on Judaism.
In the Hebrew
Bible, a verse explains how "He [Hezekiah] removed the high
places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles
[associated with a sacred goddess]…" (II Kings 18:4), the IAA said. [See Photos of Artifacts Recovered from the Excavation
at the Gate-Shrine]
Sprawling gate
The gate is
located in the ancient city of Tel Lachish within an 80-by-80-foot
six-chambered area, with three chambers on each side and the city's main street
passing between them, the IAA said.
The northern
section of the gate was unearthed decades ago by an expedition led by
archaeologists from the United Kingdom and Tel Aviv University. The latest
excavation, which took place from January to March 2016, focused on uncovering
the entire gate, the IAA said.
The excavation
was no small task, as the gate is the largest one in Israel dating back to the
First Temple period, a time when the kingdom used the temple built by King Solomon,
the IAA said.
"The size
of the gate is consistent with the historical and archaeological knowledge we
possess," Sa'ar Ganor, an excavation director with the Israel Antiquities
Authority, said in a statement. According to biblical narrative, "everything
took place" at the gates of the ancient city of Tel Lachish, where the
gate-shrine was originally built, the IAA said.
High-ranking
people — including city elders, judges, governors, kings and officials — would
sit on the benches by the city gate, and "these benches were found in our
excavation," Ganor said.
Moreover, the
new discovery illustrates "how biblical tales that are known to us become
historical and archaeological stories" as research progresses, said Ze'ev
Elkin, who serves as minister of Jerusalem affairs and heritage and
environmental protection as well as a member of the Knesset, the Israeli
parliament.
Broken alters
The Tel
Lachish city gate is now exposed and preserved to a height of about 13 feet.
The excavation revealed that the first chamber held benches with armrests, as
well as jars, scoops that were used for loading grain, and stamped jar handles
that have the name "lmlk" on them, the seal belonging to the king,
the IAA said.
These jars
were likely related to the military and administrative preparations of the
Kingdom of Judah in the war against Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, in the
late eighth century B.C., the IAA said. [The Holy Land: 7 Amazing
Archaeological Finds]
Further
excavations revealed more evidence of Hezekiah's actions.
"Steps to
the gate-shrine in the form of a staircase ascended to a large room, where
there was a bench upon which offerings were placed," Ganor said. "An
opening was exposed in the corner of the room that led to the holy of holies
[the gate-shrine]; to our great excitement, we found two four-horned altars and
scores of ceramic finds consisting of lamps, bowls and stands in this
room."
However, the
horns on the alter were intentionally cut.
"That is
probably evidence of the religious reform attributed to King Hezekiah, whereby
religious worship was centralized in Jerusalem and the cultic high places that
were built outside the capital were destroyed," Ganor said.
In addition,
archaeologists found a stone toilet installed in the corner of the gate-shrine,
perhaps as a means of desecration, the IAA said. The Bible mentions other
descriptions of placing toilets in cultic areas for desecration purposes. For
instance, King Jehu ordered the destruction of the cult of Ba'al in Samaria.
"And they demolished the pillar of Ba'al, and demolished the house of
Ba'al, and made it a latrine to this day" (II Kings 10:27), according to
the IAA.
However, this
is the first time an archaeological discovery has confirmed a
"latrine" passage from the Bible, the IAA said. Laboratory tests on
the stone toilet suggest that it was never used and may have served a symbolic
purpose before the gate-shrine was sealed and later destroyed by Sennacherib in
701 B.C., the IAA said.
In fact, the
excavation also found signs of the kingdom's defeat, including arrowheads and
sling stones, which indicate the practice of hand-to-hand combat near the
city's gatehouse. However, this isn't the only evidence of Sennacherib's
military campaign. His campaign is also known from the archaeological record,
the Bible (II Kings 18 and II Chronicles 32) and the Tel Lachish wall reliefs
from Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh, which depict the tale of the city's
conquest, the IAA said.
The IAA
excavation was part of an initiative led by the Ministry of Jerusalem and
Heritage, in cooperation with Israel's Nature and Parks Authority. The site,
located within Tel Lachish National Park, isn't yet open to the public.
Foxnews
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments