The Iron Age I Structure on Mt. Ebal: Excavation and Interpretation (Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplement)

In Josh 8:30–35, Israel constructs an altar on Mt. Ebal in fulfillment of the command of Deut 27:1–8. This structure had very important social, political, and religious implications for Israel, for it was the first structure to be built after the people entered the land of Canaan. Once the altar was completed, sacrifices were to be offered on it, and a renewal of the covenant was to be carried out (patterned after the ritual of Deut 31:9–13). This covenant renewal was necessary to integrate the people into the covenant who had not been a part of the Sinai experience. The event was significant enough to establish nearby Shechem as the tribal league shrine, and it was the first political and religious ceremony that the Israelites undertook following their entry into the land. As a covenant ratification, it could be described as their ratification as a nation. The altar on Mt. Ebal and its concomitant ceremony were, therefore, according to the claims of the Hebrew Bible, of supreme importance in the life of ancient Israel. In 1980, during the survey of the territory of Manasseh, Israeli archaeologist Adam Zertal discovered a site on Mt. Ebal dating to the period of Iron I, during which the Israelites began to sedentarize in the central hill country of Canaan. The site was excavated over eight seasons, from 1982 to 1989, under the auspices of the University of Haifa and the Israel Exploration Society. In 1985, Zertal published an article in which he suggested that the structure on Ebal may have been the altar of Josh 8:30–35. In The Iron Age I Structure on Mt. Ebal, Ralph Hawkins reviews the excavation on Mt. Ebal and its results, including the scarabs, seals, and animal bones found there. He examines the architecture of the site in relation to Mesopotamian watchtowers, altars, and the descriptions of altars in mishnaic materials, Ezekiel, and Deuteronomic passages. This fascinating book examines the Mt. Ebal site using a comparative method for both the physical data and the textual data. The site and its artifacts are analyzed and then compared with alternative proposals and literary traditions. The site is placed in its broader regional context in order to determine how it might relate to the larger settlement picture of Iron Age I. The primary purpose is to examine the data with a view to determining the nature and function of the site and its possible relation to Josh 8:30–35. It is a compelling read for biblical and archaeological students and scholars, who will better be able to envision sites of past events. The Iron Age I Structure on Mt. Ebal: Excavation and Interpretation 4 Contents 6 Preface and Acknowledgments 8 Abbreviations 10 Introduction 14 1. Discovery and Excavation of the Ebal Structure 17 Overview of the Survey of Manasseh 17 Overview of the Discovery and Excavation of the Mt. Ebal Complex 20 Stratum II 21 Stratum IB 22 Stratum I A 24 Overview of Zertal’s Conclusions Regarding the Ebal Site 24 Methodology and Criteria for the Identification of the Site 28 2. Analysis of the Ebal Installation 43 Location and Layout of the Site 43 Location of the Site 43 Layout of the Site 43 Stratum II 45 Area A 45 Area B 50 Stratum IB 52 Area A 52 The Central Structure 52 The Surrounding Wall Complex 56 The Courtyards 56 The Double Wall (“Ramp”) between the Courtyards 57 The Installations 58 Area B: Courtyard 139 and Entrance Structure 220 61 Area C 62 Stratum ΙA 66 Pottery 67 Stone and Metal Artifacts 73 Faunal Remains 76 The Faunal Assemblage 76 Two Egyptianized Scarabs from Mt. Ebal 79 Background, Function, and Role of Scarabs in Dating 79 The Ebal Scarabs 80 Scarab 1 80 Scarab 2 81 The Provenance of the Ebal Scarabs 83 Scarab 1 83 Scarab 2 84 Conclusion 85 3. Physical Parallels to el-Burnat: Domestic and Military 86 Village 86 Farmstead 91 House or Other Domestic Space 94 The Four-Room “Israelite”House 95 The Central Structure at Mt. Ebal and the Four-Room House 100 Watchtower 101 The Biblical Term Migdāl and Ancient Watchtowers 102 Towers in the Late Bronze Age 103 Towers in Iron Age I 105 The Tower of Shechem 110 Giloh 113 The Building Remains 114 The Pottery 123 Additional Finds 124 Identification of the Site 124 Nature of the Site 124 The Special Case of Building 105 and the Relationship of Giloh to Mt. Ebal 126 The Central Structure of El-Burnat and Its Possible Identification as a Watchtower 129 Conclusion 130 4. Physical Parallels to El-Burnat: Religious Structures 131 Gilgalim 131 Altars 136 Early to Middle Bronze Age 137 Megiddo 137 Tell el-Ḥayyat 138 Tell ed-Dabˁa 140 Shechem 141 Late Bronze Age 142 Ugarit 142 Hazor 143 Tell Mevorakh 146 Lachish 147 Iron Age 148 The Altar near Shiloh 149 Megiddo 150 Tel Rehov 151 Tell Qasile 153 Tel Dan 155 Tell Arad 157 Tel Beer-sheba 158 Discussion 159 Association with Sacred Meals 161 Orientation 161 Steps 161 Horns 161 Size 162 Fill 163 Distribution 163 Conclusion 163 5. Literary Parallels 164 Location of the Site 164 Stratum II 166 Area A 166 Area B 168 Stratum IB 168 The Central Structure 169 Biblical Altar Descriptions in the First Temple Period 169 Israelite Altar Architecture and Mt. Ebal 187 Surrounding Wall Complex 190 The Ramps between the Courtyards 190 The Installations 190 Area B: Courtyard 139 and Entrance Structure 220 191 Area C 191 The Faunal Assemblage from Mt. Ebal 192 Conclusion 195 6. The Ebal Structure in Context: The Ebal Installation, the Survey of Manasseh, and the Emergence of Israel 197 Historical and Sociological Considerations of the Mt. Ebal Site 197 The Amphictyony Hypothesis 198 The Mt. Ebal Site and Biblical Tradition 206 Scholarly Response 211 An Overview of Regional Surveys in Israel 213 Galilee 213 The Jezreel and Beth-shean Valleys 214 The Central Hill Country 215 The Negev Desert 217 An Overview of the Survey of Manasseh: The Importance of the Manassite Territory 218 The Survey of Manasseh 218 Discoveries Related to the Emergence of Israel 219 Settlement Patterns 219 Chronology of the Settlement Process 221 Objections 225 The Survey of Manasseh Compared with Joshua, Judges, and the Question of Israelite Origins 229 Conclusion 232 Summary and Conclusion 234 Bibliography 242 Index of Authors 290 Index of Scripture 295 Index of Sites and Geographical Names 298

In Josh 8:30–35, Israel constructs an altar on Mt. Ebal in fulfillment of the command of Deut 27:1–8. This structure had very important social, political, and religious implications for Israel, for it was the first structure to be built after the people entered the land of Canaan. Once the altar was completed, sacrifices were to be offered on it, and a renewal of the covenant was to be carried out (patterned after the ritual of Deut 31:9–13). This covenant renewal was necessary to integrate the people into the covenant who had not been a part of the Sinai experience. The event was significant enough to establish nearby Shechem as the tribal league shrine, and it was the first political and religious ceremony that the Israelites undertook following their entry into the land. As a covenant ratification, it could be described as their ratification as a nation. The altar on Mt. Ebal and its concomitant ceremony were, therefore, according to the claims of the Hebrew Bible, of supreme importance in the life of ancient Israel.

In 1980, during the survey of the territory of Manasseh, Israeli archaeologist Adam Zertal discovered a site on Mt. Ebal dating to the period of Iron I, during which the Israelites began to sedentarize in the central hill country of Canaan. The site was excavated over eight seasons, from 1982 to 1989, under the auspices of the University of Haifa and the Israel Exploration Society. In 1985, Zertal published an article in which he suggested that the structure on Ebal may have been the altar of Josh 8:30–35.

In The Iron Age I Structure on Mt. Ebal, Ralph Hawkins reviews the excavation on Mt. Ebal and its results, including the scarabs, seals, and animal bones found there. He examines the architecture of the site in relation to Mesopotamian watchtowers, altars, and the descriptions of altars in mishnaic materials, Ezekiel, and Deuteronomic passages.

This fascinating book examines the Mt. Ebal site using a comparative method for both the physical data and the textual data. The site and its artifacts are analyzed and then compared with alternative proposals and literary traditions. The site is placed in its broader regional context in order to determine how it might relate to the larger settlement picture of Iron Age I. The primary purpose is to examine the data with a view to determining the nature and function of the site and its possible relation to Josh 8:30–35. A compelling read for biblical and archaeological students and scholars, who will better be able to envision sites of past events.