KUNTILLET ʿAJRUD: PILGRIM’S ROADHOUSE TO MOUNT SINAI (HAR KARKOM) (original) (raw)
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A New Outlook at Kuntillet ‛Ajrud and its Inscriptions, Maarav 20/1 (2013) [2015], 39-51
Kuntillet ‛Ajrud was an Israelite outpost constructed by the King of Israel, probably Jeroboam II, near the road leading from the coast of Philistia to the Gulf of Eilat. It was built in an attempt to control and supervise the Darb el-Ghazza route and became the major component in the Israelite King's efforts to participate in the growing international trade and gain part of the revenues of the Arabian trade. The building was a royal edifice and all the discovered inscriptions, paintings and artefacts reflect its function as a royal Israelite center. The site was possibly selected due to a magnificent sacred tree that grew in a nearby location. The cult of the goddess Asherat, YHWH's consort and the goddess of fertility, took place outside the edifice, probably near the sacred tree
The Samarian Syncretic Yahwism and the Religious Center of Kuntillet Ajrud
The 8th-century BCE site of Kuntillet ᶜAjrud still remains a mystery, although it has been discussed in a number of studies. This is because of some enigmatic elements of this site, such as the extremely isolated far-southern location of the site on the Judahite-Egyptian border in northern Sinai (contrasting with the evident connection with the northern kingdom of Israel), the predominant proportion of storage vessels manufactured in the Jerusalem area, the inscriptions associated with personal blessing, and the fortress-like main building decorated with crude wall paintings.
Religions, 2019
The discovery of early Hebrew inscriptions at the site of Kuntillet ʿAjrud has generated considerable discussion among scholars over the past few decades. The fact that the inscriptions contain explicitly religious themes led some to conclude that the site had a cultic function. In the present article, we challenge this assumption and argue that the inscriptions with religious themes are embedded in daily life as religion converges with scribal curriculum in ancient Israel. The inscriptions provide insights into conceptions of the Israelite pantheon, divine theophany, and theomachy in early Israelian religious ideology.
A Holy Warrior at Kuntillet Ajrud? KA Plaster Inscription 4.2 (2022)
The Bible in the Ancient Near East: Essys in Honor of P. Kyle McCarter, 2022
The recent publication of the final report of the excavations at Kuntillet ʿAjrud has occasioned dramatically new understandings of this remote site on the Darb el-Ghazza caravan route, likely under the control of the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. Epigraphically, scholars now have a treasure trove of new data especially with the first publication of numerous photographs that have also produced dramatically different analyses. This is particularly true of the plaster inscriptions written for the most part in a Phoenician script and, some would now assert, in the Phoenician language, not Hebrew. Of the plaster inscriptions, Kuntillet ʿAjrud Plaster Inscription 4.2 stands out as truly remarkable. It represents a militaristic wilderness theophany couched within what has been called “the oldest known Hebrew poem” outside of the Hebrew Bible. Now with the final report—published nearly four decades after the excavations—scholars for the first time are presented with a much fuller (and surprisingly different) set of readings. What may be a second fragment of the inscription putatively mentioning [Ya]hw[eh] has also been published for the first time. Nadav Na’aman is certainly correct that the new dataset published in the final report “calls for a thorough re-investigation of this unique desert site and its findings.” The present analysis, after securing the text, will reinvestigate the portrayal of divinity in KA 4.2, and particularly the mention of a deity who has not drawn the attention of historians of Israelite religion using the remarkable finds at Kuntillet ʿAjrud.
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, 2017
The Kuntillet ‛Ajrud inscriptions mention blessings by the names of YHWH of Samaria and YHWH of Teman. Like all ancient Near Eastern gods, these two regional gods must have had central temples. This article examines their possible locations and suggests that the combination of the Kuntillet ‛Ajrud inscriptions with the eighth-century prophecies of Amos and Hosea holds the key for identifying these. In light of a detailed analysis of Hosea’s and Amos’ prophecies, it is further suggested that YHWH of Samaria was the name of the major God of the Kingdom of Israel and his main temple was located at Bethel, and that YHWH of Teman was the name of the God of the southern desert regions and his temple was located at Beer-sheba. Israelite traders who traveled southward probably visited the latter god’s temple, offered him sacrifices, made vows to repay him if they succeed in the expedition, and thus turned him to be their patron god during their travel in the desert region. This suggested identification explains why the Judahite cult place of Beer-sheba appears in Amos’ prophecy alongside the Israelite sanctuaries of Bethel, Gilgal, and Dan.
Kuntillet 'Ajrud, Sacred Trees and the Asherah
Tel Aviv: Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, 2008
The point of departure for the article is the contrast between the abundance of unique artefacts, religious inscriptions and drawings unearthed at Kuntillet >Ajrud and the absence of remains associated with cultic activity at the site. It is proposed that this discrepancy in the finding may be accounted for by a tradition of a sacred tree and a cult site around it. The discussion first explores the importance of the cult of sacred trees in the history of the Levant. Several ancient Levantine cult sites developed around prominent trees that drew sanctity to their vicinity. In this light, it is conjectured that at the site of Kuntillet >Ajrud the actual cultic activity took place around a sacred tree (or sacred grove) and a nearby altar, while the main building served as a storehouse for the sancta of the goddess Asherata, her dedications and treasures. Such a building could also have served as an inn for pilgrims travelling along the Darb el-Ghazza, but its function as a caravanserai was secondary to its main purpose as the goddess' treasury.