A Haifa University archaeologist digging at Mt. Ebal in the northern Samaria district of the West Bank reported today the discovery of a ritual sacrifice altar which conforms in size and shape to the altar prescribed by Moses.
According to the archaeologist, Adam Zartal, the altar, used for animal sacrifices, dates from the period of Israelite settlement of the 13th to 12th centuries BCE. It measures 28 by 21 feet and was made of unhewn stones, as ordained by the Torah.
“I do not claim that this altar is the altar Joshua built, but I do claim that we have here a highly important ritual center,” Zartal told reporters. “The indications this discovery gives fit in with the Biblical traditions.”
Zartal added: “It is the first time in archaeological research that an Israelite ritual center has been uncovered with a full scale burnt offering altar that can teach us how our religion started.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
