SUMMARY: Details surrounding the discovery of a Moabite sanctuary at the archaeological site of Khirbat Ataruz in central Jordan have finally been published. The most exciting find was an inscribed Moabite altar, which makes the earliest known Semitic language reference to Hebrews.
“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ – Deuteronomy 4:5-6 (ESV)
Israel and Other Nations
Throughout the sweep of biblical history, varying people groups from among the neighbors of the Hebrews rose, generally bringing with them drama. These peoples contributed to the cultural environment of the Hebrews possessing similarities in language and material culture, as well as agricultural, religious, and other such practices. They serve as important actors in the biblical narrative, often as sources of hostility, and they are presented as the primary source of a never ending threat of religious corruption.
There were many points of overlap between Israel and its neighbors, since they had common points of ancestry, lived in the same world, and possessed similar modes of thought and expression. However, there were distinctions, the chief being the difference between the God that Israel worshipped, and the gods of the nations. A second key difference was Israel’s unique connection to this God who had made promises to the patriarchs, brought the multiplied people out of Egypt with a strong hand in fulfilment of those promises, and renewed the covenant when they entered the Promised Land (Deut. 29:1-18).
Part of maximally understanding the Bible includes gaining a grasp of its Ancient Near Eastern context. This includes any detectable social and cultural parallels between the Hebrews and their neighbors, as well as differences in history, geography or even climate in the setting in which they were positioned. Sometimes, insight may be discoverable in details related to distance and elevation (Judges 16:3), or in linguistic subtleties as slight as the practice of forming individual names.
For example, the various inhabitants of Canaan had the practice of creating names that referenced their favorite deity, just like the Hebrews. However, Hebrew names normally lacked references to Chemosh, or Astarte, or the sun or the moon, giving historical evidence of monotheistic loyalty even in this subtle linguistic practice.
Although there was rampant idol worship in ancient Israel among individuals, the Torah constitution was not officially replaced. This reality was reflected in many distinctive ways in their culture, which show up in archaeological evidence being found today. Everything from the unmistakable form of Hebrew names to the lack of pig bones or graven images at places like Khirbet Qeiyafa in the valley of David and Goliath’s battle, to remarkable evidence of the worship of Israel’s God as prescribed in the Bible at the site of Dan.
The Hebrews were unique in that they were officially, covenantally, related to their God, and He consistently communicated with them throughout the centuries. That communication produced a huge body of ancient Hebrew religious material that Jews and Christians refer to as the Tanach, or Old Testament.
Textual Artifacts and Nations
One of the most coveted forms of material culture for archaeologists to discover is that which possesses text. Material artifacts become textual artifacts with this one feature. The reason textual artifacts are special is because text carries meaning, communicates ideas, and gives indication about how meaning and ideas were conveyed. In any great mystery, the sleuth wants to know, “Who knew what, and when did they know it?” When archaeologists discover ancient written communication, they get direct access to extinct cultures.
However, written materials from the nations that surrounded ancient Israel are very sparse. For example, the overall corpus of Moabite literature we have exists in the form of the Mesha Stele, along with a few other inscriptions, and some seals. For perspective, the total corpus of Moabite literature is less than the content of a single panel of a Hebrew Torah scroll. (See more on Christian connections to Hebrew scrolls.) So, any discovery is a special treasure and helps researchers to fill in gaps in their understanding.
Readers may remember that one of those rare, special textual artifacts from one of Israel’s neighbors is the famous Moabite Stone, also termed the Meshe Stele. It was erected by King Mesha of Moab (2 Kings 3:4) in honor of the Moabite god Chemosh on the occasion of his victory of independence from Israel. In that stone, King Mesha referenced the city of Ataruz, which had been occupied by Hebrews, but which he had taken back from the son of the Hebrew King Omri. This city was referenced in the Bible as Ataroth. It was part of the tribal allotment of Reuben, but built up by the Gadites, and eventually conquered or retaken by King Mesha. The details of the capture are mentioned in the Moabite stone where Mesha gives credit to his god Chemosh for his success.
The traditional site of Ataruz is located in modern-day Jordan and is now the site of an archaeological park where excavations are currently underway. Over the past few years it has yielded some discoveries which have finally been published this summer. The below describes some of the details and highlights for those interested in how Moab and Israel intersected in antiquity.
Moabite Ritual Objects Discovered at Khirbit Ataruz
In June and July, two separate articles were published in Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant, about the discovery of a cult building, or sanctuary, in Khirbit Ataruz. The building is identifiable due to the presence of a “built-in platform altar, fireplace, offering tables, portable altars and other cultic objects,” said Chang-Ho Ji, director of the Khirbat Ataruz Project
Most interesting, is that among the archeological discoveries was an inscribed portable altar, meaning a small altar with Moabite text has been discovered, and that text has now been published.
Discovery of such a sanctuary housing instruments of sacrifice is grizzly when one considers what is known of Moabite sacrifices. At least on some occasions, human sacrifice occurred.
Then he [the king of Moab] took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall… – 2 Kings 3:27 (ESV)
Here is what we know so far about the altar. It stands 50 cm high, is sculpted from polished limestone block, and is cylindrical in shape. It is inscribed with seven lines of text that form two short inscriptions. Three lines of text are written horizontally on the upper section (referred to as Inscription A), and four lines are written vertically from bottom to top (referred to as Inscription B).
Inscription B was apparently written last and intersects with and overlaps A at one point with one letter written over the top of another, increasing the difficulty of reading. The two inscriptions do not appear to be related, and the legibility of the text is very difficult due to epigraphic and interpretive difficulties. The authors publishing the findings make repeated qualifications about the preliminary nature of their evaluation and urge caution about premature conclusions. Thus, they strongly emphasize that their conclusions are preliminary and must be understood as tentative.
This ongoing excavation by an international team led by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is the site of a recent discovery that has churned up quite a bit of excitement over the past few weeks.
New Moabite Text Referencing Hebrews
There are some things about the altar inscription that are clearly definitive. The characters used in the inscriptions are alphabetic of the paleo-Hebrew style combined with Hieratic (ancient Egyptian cursive) numerals. This pattern of combining the two was customary of similar Iron Age Hebrew inscriptions used in recording the quantities of goods, which was at least part of the purpose of this writing. Inscription B is more difficult to read and interpret than Inscription A, but appears to make clear reference to Hebrews, making this the oldest known Semitic reference to the Hebrew people.
The age of the script can be reliably dated to the 9th century to early 8th century BCE closely reflecting the Hebrew script of the same era, and which it had borrowed. Yet, it has features that suggest it was at the earliest stages of the development of a distinct Moabite script.
The use of Hebrew-style script fits the biblical narrative in that it is doubtless due to the “Israelite Hegemony over Moab during the reign of Omri and (at least part of) the reign of his son Ahab (2 Kings 3:4-8; cf. Mesha Stele, lines 4-8).” However, some slight deviations in the script style anticipate the development of the independent script style that appears in later Moabite inscriptions. This development was possible due in part to the overthrow of Hebrew dominance described in the Mesha Stela. The preliminary translation for the two inscriptions is as follows.
Inscription A’s suggested reading is:
- “For/with 8 shekels of bronze
- And this: 2 shekels of bronze
- Total plunder:10″
21: Inscription B’s suggested reading is:
- “4 + 60 from the Hebrews? …
- And 4,000 foreign men were scattered, and aboandoned in great number
- From the desolate city … which…
- a burnt offering/incense altar?
- Acquired/acquiring? land …”
As is clear, there is much uncertainty about the reading. The ellipses indicate uncertainty about some letters or interpretations. What seems most likely, however, is that these inscriptions are dedicatory or commemorative in nature. The location of the inscribed altar inside a Moabite cult shrine, in Ataruz, from this period is very suggestive. More work will be done both in the excavation as well as on the inscribed altar. In advance of those discoveries, keep thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Inscribed altar discovered in a Moabite sanctuary at the Khirbat Ataruz site in central Jordan. (Credit: Adam Bean, Johns Hopkins University)
NOTE: Info related to the above translation and material connected to the inscribed altar come from the June 9 publication, entitled, “An inscribed altar from the Khirbat Ataruz Moabite sanctuary” [Adam L. Bean, Christopher A. Rollston, P. Kyle McCarter & Stefan J. Wimmer (2018) An inscribed altar from the Khirbat Ataruz Moabite sanctuary, Levant, 50:2, 211-236, DOI: 10.1080/00758914.2019.1619971].
NOTE: Not every view expressed by scholars contributing Thinker articles necessarily reflects the views of Patterns of Evidence. We include perspectives from various sides of debates on biblical matters so that readers can become familiar with the different arguments involved. – Keep Thinking!
