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Coordinates: 32°24′33″N 35°19′25″E / 32.409152°N 35.323578°E / 32.409152; 35.323578
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{{Short description|Open air ancient cult installation now in the West Bank}}
{{AFC submission|t||ts=20190403164252|u=Natritmeyer|ns=118|demo=}}<!-- Important, do not remove this line before article has been created. -->
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Bull Site
|map_type = West Bank relief
|relief = true
|map_alt=
|map_size = 200
|coordinates = {{coord|32.409152|N|35.323578|E|display=inline,title}}
|image = File:The Bull Site.png
|caption = The Bull Site on the Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge
|location = Dhahrat et-Tawileh
|region = [[West Bank]]
|type = Cult installation
|epochs = [[Iron Age I A|Iron IA]]
|part_of=
|length = 23 metres
|width = 21 metres
|altitude_m = 455
|area = 380 sqr metres
|builder=
|material = Stone, bedrock
|built = 12th century BCE
|abandoned = 12th century BCE
|cultures = Canaanite, Israelite, or migratory population
|dependency_of=
|occupants=
|event=
|discovered = 1977
|excavations = Apr 1978, Sept 1981
|archaeologists= [[Amihai Mazar]]
|condition = In ruins
|ownership=
|management=
|public_access=
|website=
|notes=
}}


The so-called '''Bull Site''' is a 12th-century BCE open air ancient [[Cult (religious practice)|cult]] installation<ref name=Bloch76>Bloch-Smith & Alpert Nakhai (1999), p. 76.</ref> found at [[Dhahrat et-Tawileh]]<ref>Ahlström (1990)</ref> (also spelled Daharat et-Tawileh),<ref>Mazar (1982)</ref> in the [[West Bank]]. The site is named for the bronze [[sacred bull]] statuette which was found at the site in 1977.
{{coord|32.409986|N|35.323005|E|display=title}}


== References ==
==Location==
[[File:Dhahrat-et-tawileh-ridge.jpg|left|thumb|Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge]]
<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->

{{reflist}}
The site is located on the Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge in the hills of the northern West Bank<ref>Mazar (1982), pp. 32-33.</ref> in [[Jenin Governorate]], 75 meters above the [[Historic roads and trails|ancient road]]<ref>Dorsey (1991), pp. 144-145.</ref><ref>Miller II (2003), p. 161.</ref> through the [[Zababdeh]] valley<ref>Zertal (2008), p. 29.</ref> between [[Dothan (ancient city)|Dothan]] and [[Tirzah (ancient city)|Tirzah]].<ref>Alpert Nakhai (2001), p. 170.</ref> It lies approximately 6&nbsp;km south of [[Jenin]], and 4&nbsp;km east of [[Qabatiya]]. The site provides commanding views of other high points in northern Canaan including [[Mount Carmel]] to the west, [[Mount Tabor]] and [[Mount Meron]] to the north, [[Mount Gilboa]] to the northeast, and to the south Jebel Tamun<ref name=Mazar33>Mazar (1982), p. 33.</ref> (also spelled Jabal Tammun, 'Mount Tammun', some 2&nbsp;km SSE of the town of [[Tammun]], altitude 588 m, prominence 291 m<ref>[https://peakvisor.com/peak/jabal-tammun.html Jabal Tammun] on peakvisor.com</ref>).

==Discovery==
The site was discovered in 1977 by Ofer Broshi, a member of [[Kibbutz Shamir]] and soldier in the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli army]], where he unearthed an [[Sacred bull|ancient bull statuette]]. He brought the figurine back to his kibbutz where it was put on display with other antiquities owned by the kibbutz.<ref>Mazar (1982), p. 41.</ref><ref>Mazar (1983), p. 34.</ref> While on display it was spotted by archaeologist [[Amihai Mazar]] who arranged its transfer to the [[Israel Museum]] where it is now part of the permanent collection.<ref name=IMJ>{{cite web|url=https://www.imj.org.il/en/collections/371859|title=Israel Museum Collection - Bull Statuette|website=www.imj.org.il}}</ref> Based on Broshi's description Mazar was able to locate the discovery site at Dhahrat et-Tawileh and begin [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavations]].<ref>Mazar (1983), pp. 34-35.</ref>

==Excavation history==
Two short excavations were conducted by Mazar in April 1978 and September 1981 on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]].<ref>Mazar (1993), pp. 266-267.</ref> Results of the excavation show that the site was single-phase ([[Iron Age I A|Iron IA]])<ref>Mullins (2012), pp. 590-592.</ref><ref>Faust (2006), p. 119.</ref> and was abandoned after only a short period of use.<ref name=Mazar33/><ref>Ahlström (1990), pp. 80-81.</ref> The archaeological evidence indicates the site's use as a cultic installation<ref>Mazar (1983), pp. 35-36.</ref> though the [[flint]] and [[earthenware|pottery]] assemblage discovered potentially indicates domestic use.<ref>Miller II (2005), p. 46.</ref> [[Israel Finkelstein]]'s dating of the site to the [[Middle Bronze Age]]<ref>Finkelstein (1998), pp. 94-98.</ref> is, according to Mazar, based on a misreading of the pottery evidence<ref>Na'aman (1994), pp. 167-169.</ref> and as such an early 12th-century dating should be retained.<ref>Mazar (1999), pp. 144-148.</ref>

==Cult installation==
[[File:Bull-site-standing-stone.jpg|thumb|The standing stone or altar at the Bull Site (center)]]

Though there are a number of Iron Age I settlements in the area,<ref>Khirbet Abu Ghamam, Khirbet Tanin, Khirbet Anahum, Khirbet esh-Sheik Seffrin, and esh-Zababde. See Mazar (1983), p. 36.</ref> the Bull Site lacks any evidence of settlement. Instead it sits on the summit of Dhahrat et-Tawileh and is thought to have served as a cult site for the surrounding settlements due to its hilltop location.<ref name=Mazar33/><ref name=Mazar39>Mazar (1983), p. 39.</ref>

Built on [[bedrock]] in the 12th century, the site comprises a perimeter wall made from large boulders brought in from elsewhere,<ref>Zevit (2003), p. 233.</ref> and what is thought to be a standing stone or [[altar]] with a paved area in front of it next to the enclosure's eastern entrance.<ref>Mazar (1982), p. 34.</ref> Mazar, the excavation director, speculates that a [[Asherah pole|sacred tree]] likely grew within the site's walls.<ref>Mazar (1982), p. 35.</ref><ref>Mazar (1983), p. 37.</ref>

There is no agreement on the [[ethnicity]] of the local settlers who used the site, with suggestions ranging from the [[Israelites]] due to the site's location in [[Tribe of Manasseh|Mannaseh's]] tribal allotment ({{bibleverse|Joshua|17:1–13}}),<ref name=Bloch76/><ref>Mazar (1982), p. 38.</ref><ref>Alpert Nakhai (1994), pp. 19-29.</ref> the Canaanites,<ref name=Coogan>Coogan (1987), p. 1.</ref> or migrants from north of Canaan.<ref name=Ahlstrom81>Ahlström (1990), p. 81.</ref>

Alternative views are that the site could have been a home for a family and their animals, or an [[Pen (enclosure)|enclosure]] for [[livestock]].<ref name=Coogan/>

==Calf statuette==
[[File:Bull site statuette.png|left|thumb|The bronze calf statuette discovered at the 12th-century BCE cult site at Dhahrat et-Tawileh, West Bank]]
The statuette, found close to the western wall of the site,<ref name=Ahlstrom79>Ahlström (1990), p. 79.</ref> is of a [[Zebu]] bull measuring 17.5&nbsp;cm long by 12.4&nbsp;cm high and is made of [[bronze]].<ref name=Mazar27>Mazar (1982), p. 27.</ref> It is notable not only for its naturalistic ears and eyes,<ref name=Mazar27/> but for being the largest such bull statuette found in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].<ref name=Ahlstrom79/> Though Mazar suggests it may be the product of a local Israelite craftsman,<ref name=Mazar39/> other scholars such as Ahlström believe it came either from [[Galilee]], or further north again above the land of Canaan.<ref name=Ahlstrom81/>

There is no consensus about which deity the statuette represents;<ref>Ahlström (1990), p. 80.</ref> it could be an image of [[Baal]]<ref>Miller (2000), p. 32.</ref> or [[Yahweh]].<ref>Smith (2002), pp. 83-84.</ref><ref>Bloch-Smith & Alpert Nakhai (1999), pp. 76-77.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ancient Canaanite religion]]
* [[Sacred bull]]
* [[Origins of Judaism]]
* [[History of ancient Israel and Judah]]

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal |last=Ahlström |first=Gösta W. |date=November 1990 |title=The Bull Figurine from Dhahrat et-Tawileh |journal=[[Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research]] |volume=280 |issue=280 |pages=77–82 |jstor=1357311 |doi=10.2307/1357311 |s2cid=163751741 }}
*{{cite book |last=Alpert Nakhai |first=Beth |date=2001 |title=Archaeology and the Religions of Canaan and Israel |location=Boston, MA |publisher=American Schools of Oriental Research |isbn=978-0897570572 }}
*{{cite journal |last1=Bloch-Smith |first1=Elizabeth |last2= Alpert Nakhai |first2=Beth |date=1999 |title=A Landscape Comes to Life |journal=[[Near Eastern Archaeology (journal)|Near Eastern Archaeology]] |volume=62 |issue=2 |doi=10.2307/3210703 |jstor= 3210703 |s2cid=163482783 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Coogan |first=Michael David |author-link=Michael Coogan|date=1987 |title=Of Cults and Cultures: Reflections on the Interpretation of Archaeological Evidence |journal=[[Palestine Exploration Fund|Palestine Exploration Quarterly]] |volume=119 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1179/peq.1987.119.1.1 }}
*{{cite book |last=Dorsey |first=David A. |date=1991 |title=The Roads and Highways of Ancient Israel |series=The ASOR Library of Biblical and Near Eastern Archaeology |publisher=Wipf and Stock |isbn=978-1-5326-6089-4 }}
*{{cite book |last=Faust |first=Avraham |author-link=Avraham Faust|date=2006 |title=Israel's Ethnogenesis: Settlement, Interaction, Expansion and Resistance |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781845534561 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Finkelstein |first=Israel|author-link1=Israel Finkelstein |date=1998 |title=Two notes on Northern Samaria: the 'Einun Pottery' and the date of the 'Bull Site' |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=130 |issue=2 |pages=94–98|doi=10.1179/peq.1998.130.2.94 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Mazar |first=Amihai |date=Summer 1982 |title=The "Bull Site": An Iron Age I Open Cult Place |journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research |issue=247 |pages=27–42 |jstor=1356477 |doi=10.2307/1356477 |s2cid=164091738 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Mazar |first=Amihai |date=September–October 1983 |title=Bronze Bull Found in Israelite "High Place" from the Time of the Judges |url=https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/9/5/1 |journal=[[Biblical Archaeology Review]] |volume=9 |issue=5 |url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Mazar |first=Amihai |author-link1=Amihai Mazar|editor-last=Stern |editor-first=Ephraim |editor-link1= Ephraim Stern|encyclopedia=The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land |title='Bull' Site |year=1993 |publisher=Carta |volume=1 |isbn=0-13-276296-X}}
*{{cite journal |last=Mazar |date=1999 |title=The 'Bull Site' and the 'Einun Pottery' Reconsidered |journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly |volume=131 |issue=2 |pages=144–148 |doi=10.1179/peq.1999.131.2.144 }}
*{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Patrick D. |date= 2000 |title=Israelite Religion and Biblical Theology: Collected Essays |series=Journal for the study of the Old Testament Supplement Series |volume=267 |publisher=[[Sheffield Academic Press]] |isbn=9781841271422 |author-link= Patrick D. Miller}}
*{{cite book |last=Miller II |first=Robert |editor-last=Lapp |editor-first=Nancy|editor-link=Nancy Lapp |title=Preliminary Excavation Reports and other Archaeological Excavations, Tell Qarqur; Iron I Sites in the North-Central Highlands of Palestine |publisher=American Schools of Oriental Research |date=2003 |series=The Annual of The American Schools of Oriental Research |volume=56 |chapter=Gazetteer of Iron I Sites in the North-Central Highlands |location=Boston, MA |isbn=0-89757-026-X}}
*{{cite book |last=Miller II |first=Robert D. |date=2005 |title=Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the Twelfth and Eleventh Centuries B.C. |location=Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K. |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]] |isbn=978-0802809889 }}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Mullins |first=Robert |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception |title=The Bull Site |date=2012 |publisher=De Gruyter |volume=4 |isbn=978-3110183559}}
*{{cite book |last=Na'aman |first=Nadav |editor-last1=Finkestein |editor-first1=Israel |editor-last2=Na'aman |editor-first2=Nadav |title=From Nomadism to Monarchy |publisher=[[Israel Exploration Society]] |date=1994 |chapter=The 'Conquest of Canaan' in the Book of Joshua and in History |isbn=965-217-117-4}}
*{{cite journal |last= Alpert Nakhai |first=Beth |date=1994 |title=What's a Bamah? How Sacred Space Functioned in Ancient Israel |url=https://www.baslibrary.org/biblical-archaeology-review/20/3/1 |journal=Biblical Archaeology Review |volume=20 |issue=3 |url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite book |last=Parker |first=Simon B. |date=1997 |title=Ugaritic Narrative Poetry |volume=9 |series=[[Society of Biblical Literature|SBL]] Writings from the Ancient World |location= Atlanta, GA |publisher=Scholars Press |isbn=978-0788503375 }}
*{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Mark S. |author-link1=Mark S. Smith |date= 2002 |title=The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel |location=Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Dearborn, MI |publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company |isbn=9781845534561 }}
*{{cite book |last= Zertal |first= Adam |author-link=Adam Zertal |date= 2008 |title=The Manasseh Hill Country Survey, Volume II, The Eastern Valleys and the Fringes of the Desert |location=Leiden; Boston |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |isbn=978-9004163690 }}
*{{cite book |last= Zevit |first= Ziony |author-link=Ziony Zevit |editor-last1=Dever |editor-first1= William|editor-link1= William G. Dever |editor-last2= Gitin |editor-first2= Seymour|editor-link2=Seymour Gitin|title=Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past: Canaan, Ancient Israel, and Their Neighbors from the Late Bronze Age through Roman Palaestina |publisher=[[Eisenbrauns|Eisenbrauns Book Publishers]] |date=2003 |chapter=False Dichotomies in Descriptions of Israelite Religion: A Problem, Its Origin, and a Proposed Solution |isbn=978-1575060811}}
{{refend}}
{{Sites of the Israelite Settlement}}

[[Category:12th-century BC establishments]]
[[Category:1977 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in the West Bank]]
[[Category:Collection of the Israel Museum]]
[[Category:Sculptures of cattle]]
[[Category:Sacred bulls]]
[[Category:El (deity)]]
[[Category:Baal]]
[[Category:Yahweh]]

Latest revision as of 00:29, 26 August 2024

Bull Site
The Bull Site on the Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge
Bull Site is located in West Bank
Bull Site
Shown within West Bank
LocationDhahrat et-Tawileh
RegionWest Bank
Coordinates32°24′33″N 35°19′25″E / 32.409152°N 35.323578°E / 32.409152; 35.323578
Altitude455 m (1,493 ft)
TypeCult installation
Length23 metres
Width21 metres
Area380 sqr metres
History
MaterialStone, bedrock
Founded12th century BCE
Abandoned12th century BCE
PeriodsIron IA
CulturesCanaanite, Israelite, or migratory population
Site notes
Discovered1977
Excavation datesApr 1978, Sept 1981
ArchaeologistsAmihai Mazar
ConditionIn ruins

The so-called Bull Site is a 12th-century BCE open air ancient cult installation[1] found at Dhahrat et-Tawileh[2] (also spelled Daharat et-Tawileh),[3] in the West Bank. The site is named for the bronze sacred bull statuette which was found at the site in 1977.

Location

[edit]
Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge

The site is located on the Dhahrat et-Tawileh ridge in the hills of the northern West Bank[4] in Jenin Governorate, 75 meters above the ancient road[5][6] through the Zababdeh valley[7] between Dothan and Tirzah.[8] It lies approximately 6 km south of Jenin, and 4 km east of Qabatiya. The site provides commanding views of other high points in northern Canaan including Mount Carmel to the west, Mount Tabor and Mount Meron to the north, Mount Gilboa to the northeast, and to the south Jebel Tamun[9] (also spelled Jabal Tammun, 'Mount Tammun', some 2 km SSE of the town of Tammun, altitude 588 m, prominence 291 m[10]).

Discovery

[edit]

The site was discovered in 1977 by Ofer Broshi, a member of Kibbutz Shamir and soldier in the Israeli army, where he unearthed an ancient bull statuette. He brought the figurine back to his kibbutz where it was put on display with other antiquities owned by the kibbutz.[11][12] While on display it was spotted by archaeologist Amihai Mazar who arranged its transfer to the Israel Museum where it is now part of the permanent collection.[13] Based on Broshi's description Mazar was able to locate the discovery site at Dhahrat et-Tawileh and begin excavations.[14]

Excavation history

[edit]

Two short excavations were conducted by Mazar in April 1978 and September 1981 on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[15] Results of the excavation show that the site was single-phase (Iron IA)[16][17] and was abandoned after only a short period of use.[9][18] The archaeological evidence indicates the site's use as a cultic installation[19] though the flint and pottery assemblage discovered potentially indicates domestic use.[20] Israel Finkelstein's dating of the site to the Middle Bronze Age[21] is, according to Mazar, based on a misreading of the pottery evidence[22] and as such an early 12th-century dating should be retained.[23]

Cult installation

[edit]
The standing stone or altar at the Bull Site (center)

Though there are a number of Iron Age I settlements in the area,[24] the Bull Site lacks any evidence of settlement. Instead it sits on the summit of Dhahrat et-Tawileh and is thought to have served as a cult site for the surrounding settlements due to its hilltop location.[9][25]

Built on bedrock in the 12th century, the site comprises a perimeter wall made from large boulders brought in from elsewhere,[26] and what is thought to be a standing stone or altar with a paved area in front of it next to the enclosure's eastern entrance.[27] Mazar, the excavation director, speculates that a sacred tree likely grew within the site's walls.[28][29]

There is no agreement on the ethnicity of the local settlers who used the site, with suggestions ranging from the Israelites due to the site's location in Mannaseh's tribal allotment (Joshua 17:1–13),[1][30][31] the Canaanites,[32] or migrants from north of Canaan.[33]

Alternative views are that the site could have been a home for a family and their animals, or an enclosure for livestock.[32]

Calf statuette

[edit]
The bronze calf statuette discovered at the 12th-century BCE cult site at Dhahrat et-Tawileh, West Bank

The statuette, found close to the western wall of the site,[34] is of a Zebu bull measuring 17.5 cm long by 12.4 cm high and is made of bronze.[35] It is notable not only for its naturalistic ears and eyes,[35] but for being the largest such bull statuette found in Palestine.[34] Though Mazar suggests it may be the product of a local Israelite craftsman,[25] other scholars such as Ahlström believe it came either from Galilee, or further north again above the land of Canaan.[33]

There is no consensus about which deity the statuette represents;[36] it could be an image of Baal[37] or Yahweh.[38][39]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Bloch-Smith & Alpert Nakhai (1999), p. 76.
  2. ^ Ahlström (1990)
  3. ^ Mazar (1982)
  4. ^ Mazar (1982), pp. 32-33.
  5. ^ Dorsey (1991), pp. 144-145.
  6. ^ Miller II (2003), p. 161.
  7. ^ Zertal (2008), p. 29.
  8. ^ Alpert Nakhai (2001), p. 170.
  9. ^ a b c Mazar (1982), p. 33.
  10. ^ Jabal Tammun on peakvisor.com
  11. ^ Mazar (1982), p. 41.
  12. ^ Mazar (1983), p. 34.
  13. ^ "Israel Museum Collection - Bull Statuette". www.imj.org.il.
  14. ^ Mazar (1983), pp. 34-35.
  15. ^ Mazar (1993), pp. 266-267.
  16. ^ Mullins (2012), pp. 590-592.
  17. ^ Faust (2006), p. 119.
  18. ^ Ahlström (1990), pp. 80-81.
  19. ^ Mazar (1983), pp. 35-36.
  20. ^ Miller II (2005), p. 46.
  21. ^ Finkelstein (1998), pp. 94-98.
  22. ^ Na'aman (1994), pp. 167-169.
  23. ^ Mazar (1999), pp. 144-148.
  24. ^ Khirbet Abu Ghamam, Khirbet Tanin, Khirbet Anahum, Khirbet esh-Sheik Seffrin, and esh-Zababde. See Mazar (1983), p. 36.
  25. ^ a b Mazar (1983), p. 39.
  26. ^ Zevit (2003), p. 233.
  27. ^ Mazar (1982), p. 34.
  28. ^ Mazar (1982), p. 35.
  29. ^ Mazar (1983), p. 37.
  30. ^ Mazar (1982), p. 38.
  31. ^ Alpert Nakhai (1994), pp. 19-29.
  32. ^ a b Coogan (1987), p. 1.
  33. ^ a b Ahlström (1990), p. 81.
  34. ^ a b Ahlström (1990), p. 79.
  35. ^ a b Mazar (1982), p. 27.
  36. ^ Ahlström (1990), p. 80.
  37. ^ Miller (2000), p. 32.
  38. ^ Smith (2002), pp. 83-84.
  39. ^ Bloch-Smith & Alpert Nakhai (1999), pp. 76-77.

Bibliography

[edit]
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