Evidence of Worship in the Rock-Cut Rooms on the Eastern Slope of the City of David, Jerusalem

Authors

Eli Shukron, Ancient Jerusalem Research Center
Liora Freud, Tel Aviv UniversityFollow
Helena Roth, Tel Aviv UniversityFollow
Reli Avisar, Tel Aviv UniversityFollow
Efrat Bocher, Ancient Jerusalem Research CenterFollow

Abstract

This paper presents the finds retrieved from a unique series of rock-cut rooms found on the eastern slope of the City of David. These rock-cut rooms stand out in terms of their architectural features, as well as the artifacts discovered within them, all of which reflect on their function as a cultic complex, likely constructed in the Middle Bronze Age, with its final stage in Iron Age IIB. This complex offers profound evidence for the diversity of cultic practices in the capital of the Kingdom of Judah.

Keywords

Jerusalem, City of David, rock-cut rooms, cult, ritual, maṣṣebah, worship, Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age

Recommended Citation

Shukron, Eli; Freud, Liora; Roth, Helena; Avisar, Reli; and Bocher, Efrat (2024) "Evidence of Worship in the Rock-Cut Rooms on the Eastern Slope of the City of David, Jerusalem," 'Atiqot: Vol. 116, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1126
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol116/iss1/5