COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
Editor’s Note: This article contains images of human skeletal remains.
There is much that remains mysterious about the Canaanite temple uncovered at Azekah, but there is one thing we know for certain: Its inner sanctuary faced the rising sun, which brought light into the temple and bathed its white stones, pillars, and plastered walls in brilliant hues of pink and orange. The same sun still gives life to the ruins of Azekah and helps the ongoing Lautenschläger Expedition unravel the secrets of this once vibrant Late Bronze Age settlement.
During the many years of Egyptian hegemony over the southern Levant (c. 1550–1150 BCE), Azekah flourished and grew into one of the most important centers of the Shephelah (Judean foothills). Its strategic location overlooking the Elah Valley and several major highways made it crucial to the control of the area. During this period, the inhabitants of Azekah maintained strong ties with the Egyptian administration. It included a wealthy and prosperous upper and lower city that even had a pottery workshop and oil (or perfume) production facilities.
The discovery of a temple on Azekah’s eastern slope adds to this picture.1 This sacred space was established probably during the 13th century BCE as an open-air sanctuary, offering an uninterrupted view of the valley and the highlands to the east. It included a stone-paved platform in the south and an upper terrace in the north. Worship most likely took place on the upper terrace. It was centered around a large, round stone altar with an attached basin, both covered with plaster. Next to the altar was a 1.5-foot-tall round pillar made of smoothed limestone that reflected the light of the sun.
The sanctuary is oriented toward the east, a characteristic feature of many temples and sanctuaries in the southern Levant. Its orientation and features also closely parallel Egyptian solar (or “sunshade”) temples known from the 14th to the 12th centuries. These sacred structures were dedicated to the sun’s daily renewal, as expressed in Egyptian inscriptions and iconography, including depictions of baboons welcoming the rising sun.
During the 12th century, when Canaanite Azekah reached its zenith, the open-air sanctuary was renovated and became a walled temple. Seven lamp-and-bowl deposits were placed in the foundation, a well-known practice attested in Late Bronze and early Iron Age temples across the southern Levant. The layout of the new space followed the typical symmetrical plan of monumental Canaanite temples known from sites such as Lachish and Hazor.2
COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
The main entrance lay to the southwest, where there was a large open area paved with a pebble floor. This space likely functioned as an outer courtyard, where most of the temple’s public activities, including feasting and libation rituals, would have taken place. A standing stone found near a flat slab in the center of the courtyard may have served as a small altar, around which people would have gathered to worship and make offerings. At the northern end of the courtyard, on the building’s central axis, was a large square podium.
COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
Across this threshold was the paved entryway into the temple’s inner sanctuary. This part of the temple seems to have been roofed with an upper story, used for both storage and religious activity. Northwest and southeast of the entryway were two small side rooms. One was furnished with a bench, and the other with two superimposed, round stone installations. At the northeastern end was the main hall, including the stone altar and the pillar from the earlier open sanctuary.
Inside the temple, we found religious objects that display an array of local and foreign influences. Most impressive was a small bronze figurine likely representing the Canaanite storm god Baal, similar examples of which have been found at sites across the southern Levant, including Hazor, Beth Shean, Tel Sippor, and Lachish. Small ceramic statues were also uncovered, including two human plaque figurines, as well as several zoomorphic figures. The figurines may have been stored or displayed in model shrines, decorated pieces of which were also uncovered inside the temple.
COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
Amulets and stamp impressions show the longstanding connection between Azekah and the major powers of the east-ern Mediterranean, especially Egypt. Next to a small faience figurine of the Egyptian god Bes, for example, we found a rare Egyptian triad amulet depicting the gods Re-Horakhty, Seth, and Hathor.3 We also discovered two stamp impressions that once sealed containers and were likely kept in the temple as administrative records. Other items included chalices, votive and zoomorphic vessels, and small decorated juglets that probably held precious oils or perfumes that were brought to the temple for blessing.
COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
Canaanite Azekah and its temple were suddenly and dramatically destroyed at the end of the 12th century. Vivid evidence of this destruction was discovered inside the temple, where five victims—all men between the ages of 16 and 55—were found broken and buried beneath its collapsed walls. Two met their end in the courtyard, while the other three were most likely standing on the roof before it collapsed, possibly in a last desperate attempt to defend the temple and the people of Azekah.
COURTESY LAUTENSCHLÄGER AZEKAH EXPEDITION
In coming seasons, the Lautenschläger Expedition will continue to unearth more secrets from this Canaanite temple, including the identification of which god (or gods) were worshiped there, details of its administration, its economic role within the city, and the causes of its destruction and ultimate abandonment. Anyone who would like to solve these mysteries is welcome to join us.4
Oriented to the east, with a broad view across the Elah Valley, the Canaanite temple at Azekah was bathed each morning in the sun’s rays. The temple’s architecture and ritual items that were found inside evidence both Levantine and Egyptian influence on local religious practice and point to Azekah’s status as a strategic, multicultural center in Late Bronze Age Canaan.
