Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure
Masks, goblets and giant Cypriot jars from a 13th-century shrine courtyard
Found 2014 — Itzhaq Shai, Tel Burna Archaeological Project (Ariel University; earlier Bar-Ilan)
Where Tel Burna, Shephelah near Kiryat Gat (a candidate for biblical Libnah) (Israel)
Dates from c. 1300–1200 BCE · Late Bronze IIB · Canaanite Shephelah at the time of the Exodus and conquest
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority collections; site open ground
How Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure was found
In the fourth season (summer 2014), a large courtyard building on the western terrace of the tell produced two ceramic mask fragments, goblets, chalices, animal-shaped vessels, figurines, cylinder seals and two 200-liter pithoi imported from Cyprus, along with burnt animal bone.
What it is
A square enclosure about 16 m (52 ft) on a side with a courtyard laid on bedrock, containing a concentration of feasting and ritual objects: two hollow ceramic face masks with eyeholes, drinking goblets and chalices, zoomorphic vessels, a cup-and-saucer votive, figurine fragments, three cylinder seals and two enormous Cypriot storage jars. Burnt sheep, goat and pig bone lay in the courtyard.
Why it matters for the Bible
The enclosure shows Canaanite cult in the lowlands in the very generation before the Israelite settlement, with masks likely worn in ceremonies and jars of wine or oil imported by sea for feasts. The excavators suggest a shrine to a storm god such as Baal, though no inscription names the deity. If Tel Burna is Libnah, this is the religious life of a town Joshua later took (Joshua 10:29-30). The pig bones also contrast with the near-absence of pig at Israelite sites nearby.
The Hebrew word: BAH-al
בַּעַל
בַּעַל is pronounced BAH-al and means lord, master; the Canaanite storm god (Strong's H1168).
Places
- Libnah — לִבְנָה (liv-NAH) — whiteness
Events
Canaanite worship in the Shephelah · Joshua's capture of Libnah (Joshua 10:29-30)
Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure in Scripture
Joshua 10:29-30 Joshua takes Libnah; Tel Burna is a leading candidate for that town, and this shrine belongs to its Canaanite phase.
Judges 2:11-13 Israel served the Baals and Ashtaroth of the land — the kind of cult this enclosure represents.
Questions people ask
What is Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure?
A square enclosure about 16 m (52 ft) on a side with a courtyard laid on bedrock, containing a concentration of feasting and ritual objects: two hollow ceramic face masks with eyeholes, drinking goblets and chalices, zoomorphic vessels, a cup-and-saucer votive, figurine fragments, three cylinder seals and two enormous Cypriot storage jars. Burnt sheep, goat and pig bone lay in the courtyard.
When was Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure discovered?
It was found in 2014 by Itzhaq Shai, Tel Burna Archaeological Project (Ariel University; earlier Bar-Ilan), at Tel Burna, Shephelah near Kiryat Gat (a candidate for biblical Libnah).
Where is Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure today?
Israel Antiquities Authority collections; site open ground.
Which Bible verses does Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure relate to?
Joshua 10:29-30, Judges 2:11-13.
Related discoveries
- לִבְנָהTel Burna (Libnah?)A Shephelah fortress proposed as Libnah of Joshua 10
- מִזְבֵּחַMegiddo Round Altar and Early Bronze TemplesA stepped stone altar and a row of temples in Canaan's oldest sacred area
- מַצֵּבָהHazor Shrine of the StelaeA small Canaanite chapel with a row of standing stones and hands lifted to the moon
- יְבוּסִיOphel Cuneiform Tablet FragmentThe oldest written text found in Jerusalem, a scrap of an Amarna-age royal letter
Sources
- Times of Israel, 'Canaanite cult site offers up its treasures after 3,300 years' (2014)
- I. Shai et al., 'Late Bronze Age Cultic Activity in Ancient Canaan: A View from Tel Burna'
- Archaeology Magazine, 'Cults of the Bronze Age' (Jan/Feb 2015)
Open Tel Burna Canaanite Cult Enclosure in Hebrew Explorer →