Biblical Archaeology: Bonus 105

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Bonus 105 - Beersheba Altar

Replica of a four-horned sandstone altar reconstructed
from three preserved blocks of the large horns.
Beersheba, Israel. © Todd Bolen/BiblePlaces.com

While none of the original furniture from the tabernacle or Solomon’s temple has been discovered, one of the most extraordinary finds in the Beersheba (Tel Be’er Sheva) excavation was a dismantled horned altar. This altar (ca. 160 cm or 63 inches high), unlike the Megiddo and Tel Dan small horned altars, was not found intact but several pieces were scattered throughout the structures of the site and found in secondary usage. 1. It is unknown what the length and width were, but Aharoni suggests that it was the same as the 5 × 5 cubit dimensions of the Arad altar. 2. Three of the altar’s horns were found in the wall and used for repairs. The distinctive sandstone blocks compared with the typical limestone material used for construction gave archaeologists clues in recognizing and recovering almost all the ashlars for its reconstruction. One of the horned blocks revealed the image of a serpent etched into the side of the block. In addition some of the blocks found in the repair of the excavation (glacis of stratum II) indicated evidence of fire on their surface. 3.

The biblical context and archaeological evidence has led to the assumption that King Hezekiah (8th cent. BC) destroyed the altar and reused the stones for reconstruction of the city (2 Kgs 23:6–10). There was another reform by Josiah in about 621 BC. 4. The Bible states that Hezekiah, removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it (2 Kings 18:4).

Hezekiah’s religious reforms (ca. 715 BC) included the destruction of all altars outside of Jerusalem and redirecting worship to the Jerusalem sanctuary.

Footnotes

1. Ze’ev Herzog, Anson F. Rainey, and S. Moshkovitz, “The Stratigraphy of Beer-sheba and the Location of the Sanctuary,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 225, no. 1 (1977): 49–58.
2. Yohanan Aharoni, “The Horned Altar of Beer-Sheba,” The Biblical Archaeologist 37, no. 1 (1974): 4.
3. Ze’ev Herzog, Anson F. Rainey, and S. Moshkovitz, “The Stratigraphy of Beer-Sheba and the Location of the Sanctuary,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 225, no. 1 (1977): 57.
4. Aharoni, “The Horned Altar of Beer-Sheba,” 2–6.

This bonus material was quoted from:

David E. Graves, Key Themes of the Old Testament: A Survey of Major Theological Themes (Moncton, N.B.: Graves, 2013), 260-61.

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Dr. David Graves PhD. Dissertation, University of Aberdeen. The Influence of Ancient Near Eastern Vassal Treaties on the Seven Prophetic Messages in Revelation.

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