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RARE FIND DISCOVERED IN ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY DIG IN SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN: 100S OF RITUAL OBJECTS IN DITCH
Hundreds of ceramic ritual objects from an Iron Age temple were unearthed in a pit used to bury sacred items at an archaeological site in the Southern Coastal Plain. Finds included poles of up to three stories in height and 60-70 centimeters in length, hundreds of goblets, evidently used to burn incense in, and other ritual items. They had been hurled into the pit in ancient times in order to break them and prevent their reuse. The ritual poles were decorated with male and female human figures, some in the image of goddesses and some in the image of animals (oxen, lions, deer, mythological creatures, and others). Some of the objects were decorated with engravings and color. "The objects were 'buried' in ancient times because of the holiness attributed to them by local residents," noted the director of the dig for the Antiquities Authority, Dr. Raz Kelter, adding, "This is an extremely rare find that opens a window on the lives and world of the residents of the Coast Plain in the Iron Age."
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