Sacred Stones in the Desert, Masseboth by Dr. Avner Uzi
Submitted by motist on Wednesday, 07 June 2006 Page Views: 10523
Neolithic and Bronze AgeCountry: Israel Type: Standing StonesInternal Links:
Take even a one- or two-day trip through the Sinai or Negev deserts and you'll come across scores of them - standing stones erected in a variety of combinations. These stone installations may help us understand the very origins of Israelite religion.
They dot the landscape of the Bible's desert lands. The Hebrew Bible calls them masseboth ; singular, massebah), usually translated as "pillars" or "standing stones." They are unmistakably purposeful arrangements of carefully selected crude stones set vertically into the ground, individually or in groups, and are abundant in the desert, where Israel first emerged as a God-fearing nation—or perhaps more accurately, a Yahweh-fearing nation. The Bible makes it clear that these standing stones had a pervasive, if ambiguous, cultic significance in early Israelite religion.
To date, 142 independent masseboth sites have been documented in the southern Negev and eastern Sinai, and the number continues to increase. In these shrines masseboth stand alone or in groups—pairs and triads are the most common, but groups of five, seven and nine also occur. Some are only a few inches tall while others are six feet and more. Most face east and many have at their base a carefully placed circular compartment or cell. Other features, such as offering benches, altars of different types and basins sometimes accompany masseboth. In addition to these independent sites, identical groupings of masseboth can be found at hundreds of tumuli (large stone heaps that mark a tomb) and in open-air sanctuaries.
Short extract from Sacred Stones in the Desert. By Uzi Avner. Biblical Archaeology Review May, June 2001.)
Read the full article here.
We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.