TEL BURNA, ISRAEL—Haaretz reports that archaeologists digging at the ancient Canaanite city of Libnah have unearthed artifacts that they say demonstrate a large building served as a temple there some 3,200 years ago. Led by Ariel University archaeologist Itzhaq Shai, the team first unearthed the fifty-foot-long building in 2009 and speculated at the time that it might have had a ritual role. This summer, during further excavation of the structure, the team discovered a ritual stone pillar, ceramic masks, and cultic vessels that have bolstered their initial interpretation, says Shai. In addition to goblets and zoomorphic vessels, the team also unearthed ceramic vessels from Cyprus, including two pithoi, or massive ceramic storage jars. “Since the pithoi were discovered in the same context as the cultic vessels, we assume these were also part of this activity,” said Shai. To read more, go to “Egypt’s Final Redoubt in Canaan.”
