Kuntillet Ajrud: The Ancient Fortress that Puzzles Archaeologists

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Kuntillet Ajrud: The Ancient Fortress that Puzzles Archaeologists

In the Sinah desert stands Kuntillet Ajrud, a remote settlement that was found in 1975 by the archaeologist Ze’ev Meshel of the University of Tel Aviv. The settlement is dated to the 8th century BC and is suggested to be one of the border fortresses built by King Solomon. The name of the fortress in Arabic, 

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 ‘Hill of the Water-Source’.

Religious Syncretism: Yahweh, El, and Baal Worship at Kuntillet Ajrud

Two major buildings were found preserved at Kuntillet Ajrud. The largest one contained numerous inscriptions—of early Hebrew and Phoenician writings—and paintings on the walls, door posts, pottery and stone jars, as well as numerous drawings of men, animals and gods. It is interesting to note that in addition to Yahweh (the **** of the ******) being mentioned in the inscriptions, the Canaanite gods, El and Baal, were also worshipped. It was only later that Baal was ‘transformed’ to a ****** and was considered evil in the scriptures.

Baal with Thunderbolt (

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The Connection Between Yahweh, Baal, and El in the Inscriptions

Even if it has been proposed that Kuntillet Ajrud was used as a fortress, the actual nature and function of the place is not clear. Various ******** that were found, including the inscriptions, suggest that it also served as a kind of religious center, with one phrase of particular importance creating debate amongst archaeologists: “I have blessed you to Yahweh of Shomron (Samaria) and to His Asherah”. 

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 was a Semitic mother goddess. The 

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 has therefore been debated among scholars as to whether she may have been the wife of ****?  Asherah was known to be the consort of the **** El, however it seems that she disappears at some point from Phoenician/Canaanite inscriptions.

Under that inscription is a drawing of two figures, possibly **** and Asherah, and one that resembles the Egyptian **** Bes, which is a collective name for a group of dwarf deities. A few scholars have suggested that the drawings were added after the initial inscriptions and may not be related, but both of the 

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 are very interesting in terms of how they present the **** and his possible wife—if that is their purpose, of course.

Painted on a jar found in Kuntilat Ajrud in the Sinai Peninsula. Might point to a local polytheistic belief. Polytheism was outlawed in ******* Sinai, though some local mystery cults still continued with the practice, though were often stoned or *********. (

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Another inscription found on the walls says the following:

“When **** shines forth … Yahweh … The mountains will melt, the hills will crush … The Holy One over the gods … Prepare to bless Ba‘al on a day of war … to the name of El on a day of war”

Kuntillet Ajrud baffles archaeologists—especially biblical archaeologists—because of the complexity of early Israelite worship and the mixing of the **** of the ****** with many different deities, showing a different ‘face’ of the **** and a gradual movement towards monotheistic worship without any other ‘interferences’. The controversial inscriptions at Kuntillet Ajrud serve to shake the foundations of monotheism.

Top image: Painted on a jar found in Kuntilat Ajrud in the Sinai Peninsula. Right: Part of the first line of the inscription found on a large “Petus” type storage can at 

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 in northern Sinai. The usual translation of the two lines is: 1: “Will live long and thrive… will give Yhowe Yemen and to his Ashera…”. 2: Yehowe… will help… The rest of the 2nd line is unclear. Source:

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, Pashute/

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#Kuntillet #Ajrud #Ancient #Fortress #Puzzles #Archaeologists

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