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JERUSALEM A rare stash of more than 100 pagan worship vessels, all of them intact and dating back more than 3,500 years, have been found in northern Israel, archaeologists said on Monday.
The items were discovered inside a natural hollow in the bedrock which was uncovered during excavations near Tel Qashish, close to the northern port city of Haifa.
Among the items recovered were goblets and bowls, a vessel used for burning incense, and a cup featuring the moulded face of a woman, which would have been used for dedicating a ritual drink offering, or libation, to a god.
Also found were vessels from Mycenae in Greece, demonstrating evidence of trade links between the two regions.
Archaeologists involved in the two-week dig described the find as “an extremely rare discovery. Until now no such pits as these have been found from 3,500 years ago. It is also extraordinary to find scores of vessels that are in such a good state of preservation,” said Edwin van den Brink and Uzi Ad, the two archaeologists who led the dig.
“In most excavations, fragments of pottery vessels are found, whereas here the vessels were removed from the rock-hollow intact,” they said in a joint statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Van den Brink said the objects, all of which date back to a prehistorical period, were probably used in nearby pagan temple which would probably have been located on a high place.
He said it was possible the vessels had been hidden away to keep them safe in a time of war.
“In this period, there was a danger that armies were invading the area, and we have a theory that the priests feared their temple objects could be destroyed, so they hid them in this place,” he told AFP.
“There is a place on the nearby mount which dates back to the same period, that has been destroyed and buried so maybe there was a war here.”Van den Brink, whose area of expertise is prehistory, said it was the first time in 16 years he had found so many items intact.
“This was my 42nd dig and it is the first time we have found so many complete items,” he said.
The items were found at the foot of Tel Qashish, or Tell el-Qassis in Arabic, a Biblical city located to the east of Mount Carmel.
According to the First Book of Kings, recognised as scripture, it was at Tell el-Qassis, or close to it, that the Hebrew prophet Elijah slaughtered 450 prophets of the pagan god Baal.
