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© HERITAGE COMMISSION AND MARTA LUCIANI, QURAYYAH ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT

MIDIANITE CULT? To the west of Qurayyah’s residential area, archaeologists excavated a large multichambered complex built of stone and mudbrick. Dating to the Late Bronze Age, its intact graves contained Egyptian scarabs and myriad beads made from precious materials. In an adjoining sanctuary, a stunning stone relief was found that depicts the stylized bull’s head of the god Ṣalm along with an upturned ibex (see box), an incense burner, and a possible depiction of a worshiper with upraised arms, all of which reflect cultic activity.