Wednesday, February 10, 2016

ARCHAEOLOGY: Excavations at Tel Burna

Will ye steal,
murder,
and commit adultery,
and swear falsely,
and burn incense unto Baal,
and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jeremiah 7:9
"Excavations at Tel Burna, located in the Shephelah region in Israel, have uncovered a 3,300-year-old cult complex where Baal, the Canaanite storm god, may have been worshipped. ... The excavators found within the complex three connected cups, facemask fragments, massive storage
jars and burnt animal bones.

From the finds within the building, we can reconstruct the occurrence of feasts, indicated by several goblets and a large amount of animal bones,” excavation director Itzick Shai of Ariel University told LiveScience. “Some of these animal bones are burnt, probably indicating their use in some sacrificial activity.”
Shai believes worship of Baal at this cult complex is a good possibility, but he hasn’t ruled out other candidates, such as the ancient war goddess Anat. The identification awaits further research.
Some scholars believe Tel Burna can be identified as Biblical Libnah, a Canaanite town that Joshua conquered and allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 10:29–33, 15:42). Located in the Judean Shephelah, the region served as a border between the kingdoms of Judah and Philistia in the Iron Age."
BiblicalArchaeology