From The Alpha and the Omega - Chapter Five
by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © 1995, all rights reserved
"Ancient Pagan Vessels dated at 1,500 B.C. found at Tel Qashish in Israel"
Rare Discovery of 3,500-Year-Old Ancient pagan vessels intact in Israel
Highlights from various news articles
Dated June 7, 2010
In a time when Moses was leading the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt or maybe in the desert for 40 years the following article gives us some insight on ancient peoples in modern day Israel.
More than 100 pagan worship vessels, all of them intact and dating back more than 3,500 years, have been discovered in northern Israel (Lower Galilee) inside a natural hollow in the bedrock that was uncovered during excavations near Tel Qashish, close to the northern port city of Haifa. Among the items recovered were goblets, bowls, a vessel used for burning incense, and a cup featuring the molded face of a woman, which would have been used for dedicating a ritual drink offering - or libation - to a god. Also found were vessels from Mycenae in Greece, demonstrating evidence of trade links between the two regions. Until now no such pits as these have been found from 3,500 years ago. It is also extraordinary to find scores of vessels that are in such a good state of preservation, said Edwin van den Brink and Uzi Ad, the two archaeologists who led the dig. Van den Brink said the objects, all of which date back to a prehistorical period, were probably used in nearby pagan temple, which would probably have been located on a high place. He said it was possible the vessels had been hidden away to keep them safe in a time of war. In this period, there was a danger that armies were invading the area, and we have a theory that the priests feared their temple objects could be destroyed, so they hid them in this place, he said. Van den Brink, whose area of expertise is prehistory, said it was the first time in 16 years he had found so many items intact. This was my 42nd dig and it is the first time we have found so many complete items, he said. The items were found at the foot of Tel Qashish - or Tell el-Qassis in Arabic - a Biblical city located to the east of Mount Carmel.
The items were found during an excavation ordered by the Israel Antiquities Authority along the route of a new gas line in the country's north.
Some of the small vessels were used to carry precious liquids from Cyprus and Mycenae, Greece, 3,500 years ago. These vessels were replicated by people in those areas, illustrating a link between the regions, van den Brink said.
Van den Brink said they might have been used in a nearby temple. They were deposited in the hole either to be preserved from a fire that swept through the region at the end of the Late Bronze Age, or they were buried because they were no longer in use.
Yossi Garfinkel, a professor of archaeology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem who was not involved in the dig, said holy articles could not be thrown out and were buried instead.
"It is quite possible that these artifacts were used in the cultic area and in the temple and they accumulated, and when they ran out of space or they became old, a pit was made to bury them," Garfinkel said.
An Israel Antiquities Authority conservator holds an ancient sculpted face that was used in cultic religious ceremonies and over a hundred ancient cultic vessels dated to the Late Bronze Period were discovered.
The pagan residents then living in what is now Israel would descend into the rock-hollow by way of two broad, hewn steps. Inside the cavity, archeologists found whole vessels that were piled one atop of the other, along with several broken vessels.
While conducting a standard excavation to prepare for Israel National Gas Lines Companys northern gas line installation, the Israel Antiquities Authority discovered a bottomless pit of intact cultic vessels. Layers of vessels that have been preserved for 35 centuries in a natural, underground hollow at the base of Tel Qashish next to Tishbi Junction were excavated with methodical care.
Meanwhile, it has not been said how long it will be before the gas line installation will resume.
Although the public does not have access to this fragile discovery just yet, the Antiquities Authority plans to prepare an exhibition later this year.
There is not a lot of Biblical history on Tel Qashish, it is a small site located in the Jezreel Valley on the north bank of the Kishon River, 2 km north of Tel Yoqne'am, the major site in the area. Both were excavated in the 1970s and 1980s, along with Tel Qiri.
This page created June 21, 2010.
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