A New Iron Age Temple Discovered Near Jerusalem and Its Implications for our Understanding of the Development of Cult and Religion in Judah Seminar

The accidental discovery of a temple from the Biblical period, about 7 km from the temple in Jerusalem, led to a large excavation project, unique of its kind, in which the temple was excavated in a careful and methodical manner, and to the first exposure of the conduct of worship in Judah throughout the various stages of the First Temple Period.

In the lecture, Professor Lipschits will present the findings of the excavations and will discuss the implications of these findings on the development of religion and cult in Judah from the beginning of the kingdom to the Babylonian destruction and the Persian Period, as well as on the Kingdom of Judah's formation processes throughout this period.

This event will be chaired by Josh Pollard.

About the Speaker

Oded Lipschits is Professor of Jewish History in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and Director of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. He directed the Ramat Rahel Archaeological Project from 2004–2010, and is currently director of the Lautenschlaeger Excavations at Asekah and excavations in the temple of Tel Moza. He was awarded the prestigious EMET Prize for the field of Archaeology in 2022.