Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary
An Egyptian temple turned into a tent shrine with a copper serpent
Found 1969 — Beno Rothenberg (Arabah Expedition)
Where Timna Site 200, Timna Valley (Israel)
Dates from c. 1300–1150 BCE · Late Bronze Age IIB–Iron Age I · Wilderness period; Midianites in the Aravah
Now at Site (Timna Park); finds including the copper serpent in the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv
How Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary was found
Excavated at the foot of 'Solomon's Pillars' (Site 200). Under the Egyptian temple debris was a later phase in which the walls were re-used, standing stones set up, and holes for tent poles and red-and-yellow woolen cloth remains were found.
What it is
A small Egyptian shrine to Hathor built under Seti I and Ramesses II, with a naos, offering benches and hundreds of votive objects. After Egypt withdrew, Midianites removed Hathor's face, set up a row of standing stones, and roofed the court with a cloth tent. A 12 cm copper snake with a gilded head was found in this phase.
Why it matters for the Bible
This is the only excavated tent-shrine from the biblical world, built by Midianites, the people of Moshe's father-in-law Yitro (Jethro), in the same century most scholars place the Exodus. The standing stones, tent, and copper serpent invite comparison with the Tabernacle and with the bronze serpent of Numbers 21. It does not prove the Tabernacle existed, but it shows that a desert people did worship in a tent sanctuary exactly as the Torah describes.
The Hebrew word: mish-KAHN
מִשְׁכָּן
מִשְׁכָּן is pronounced mish-KAHN and means dwelling place; the Tabernacle tent (Strong's H4908).
People this discovery connects to
- Jethro — יִתְרוֹ (yit-ROH) — his abundance
- Moses — מֹשֶׁה (moh-SHEH) — drawn out
Places
- Midian — מִדְיָן (mid-YAHN) — strife
Events
The Tabernacle in the wilderness · The bronze serpent · Yitro the priest of Midian
Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary in Scripture
Genesis 25:2 First mention of Midian in Scripture.
Exodus 26:1 The Tabernacle made of woven curtains; the Timna shrine had a cloth tent over a stone court in the same period.
Numbers 21:9 Moshe's bronze serpent; a gilded copper serpent was found in the Midianite tent shrine.
Questions people ask
What is Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary?
A small Egyptian shrine to Hathor built under Seti I and Ramesses II, with a naos, offering benches and hundreds of votive objects. After Egypt withdrew, Midianites removed Hathor's face, set up a row of standing stones, and roofed the court with a cloth tent. A 12 cm copper snake with a gilded head was found in this phase.
When was Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary discovered?
It was found in 1969 by Beno Rothenberg (Arabah Expedition), at Timna Site 200, Timna Valley.
Where is Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary today?
Site (Timna Park); finds including the copper serpent in the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv.
Which Bible verses does Timna Hathor Shrine and Midianite Tent Sanctuary relate to?
Genesis 25:2, Exodus 26:1, Numbers 21:9.
Related discoveries
- מִדְיָןJabal al-Lawz: The Official Archaeology and the 2019 OpeningWhat Saudi surveys actually found, and how the fenced site became a tour stop
- נְחֹשֶׁתTimna Valley Copper MinesEgyptian-run mines in the Aravah, later worked by Edomite and Midianite smelters
- אֹהֶל מוֹעֵדRamesses II's Military Camp at Qadesh (Abu Simbel reliefs)A pharaoh's war tent laid out like the Tabernacle: 2:1 enclosure, tent in the rear, throne at the west
- עַבְדִּיאֵלTomb of the Vizier Aper-ElA Semitic-named vizier of Egypt under Amenhotep III and Akhenaten
- עַיִןMaqna 'Springs of Moses' (Arabian Elim and Marah claims)Palm-oasis springs on the Gulf of Aqaba offered as the twelve wells of Elim
- צוּרThe 'Split Rock of Horeb' near Jabal MaqlaA giant cleft boulder in Saudi Arabia claimed as the rock Moshe struck
Sources
- Rothenberg, The Egyptian Mining Temple at Timna (1988)
- Madain Project: Shrine of Hathor (Timna)
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