Kuntillet ʿAdschrud

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Depiction of the two Bes deities, a woman, several animals and the inscription on Pithos A from Kuntillet 'Adschrud

Kuntillet ʿAdschrud (also ʿAğrūd or Ajrūd ; lonely hill of water sources; abbreviated KAgr, or Hebrew Horvat Teman ) is an archaeological site on the Sinai Peninsula , about 50 km south of El-Quseme .

Archaeological excavations

The site was explored by Edward Henry Palmer in 1870 . After the occupation of Sinai by Israel as a result of the Six Day War , an Iron Age complex was excavated on the plateau in 1975 and 1976 under the direction of Ze'ev Meshel from the Archaeological Institute of Tel Aviv University, dating from around 850 and 750 BC. Was used. The character of the facility is controversial. It may be a rest stop on the way from Kadesch Barnea to Eilat . Some archaeologists and theologians have expressed the opinion that it was a sanctuary, but no altars or anything else have been found to support this theory. In the entrance area, two pithoi with inscriptions and drawings were found that made the place known.

The pictures of Kuntillet ʿAdschrud

On Pithos A a woman is depicted sitting on a throne and playing the lyre, next to it two Bes , dwarf Egyptian deities. Animals are also depicted on the jug, including a cow with a calf, two ibexes and a lion. The style of the drawings is inconsistent, suggesting that several people painted the pithos. Above a bes there is an inscription that is believed to be unrelated to the pictures. Several people can be seen at a ceremony on Pithos B.

The texts of Kuntillet ʿAdschrud

The inscriptions on the pithoi mention a jhwh šmrn ( YHWH of Samaria) and jhwh tmn (YHWH of Teman). Both are related to Asherah . The texts are written in old Hebrew script.

  • Pithos A says:
'mr. '[...] h [...] k. (') mr. lyhl [...] wlyw'śh. w [...] brkt. 'tkm. lyhwh. šmrn. wl'šrth.

Translation: It says' ... ...: Speak to Jehalle ..., and to Jo'asa and ...: I bless you at / before YHWH of Samaria and his Asherah.

  • There are two inscriptions on Pithos B:
'mr' mryw 'mr l. 'dny hšlm. 't brktk. lyhwh tmn wl'šrth. ybrk. wyšmrk wyhy 'm. 'd [n] y [...] k [...]

Translation: It saith Amarjaw: Say to my lord: Are you all right? I bless you at / before YHWH of Teman and his Asherah. May he bless you and keep you and be with my Lord ...

[...] lyhwh htmn wl'šrth
[...] kl 'šr yš'l m'š ḥnn [...] wntn lh yhw klbbh

Translation: ... at / before YHWH of Teman and his Asherah ... whatever he is asked of someone, he grants it ... and YHWH gives him according to his intention.

The texts refer to various local YHWH cults. The meaning of the expression “his Asherah” sparked a debate about whether YHWH had a female partner deity or what should be understood by the name Asherah in this case .

literature

  • William G. Dever: Asherah, Consort of Yahweh? New Evidence from Kuntillet ʿAjrûd. In: Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 255, 1984, pp. 21-37.
  • Judith M. Hadley: Some Drawings and Inscriptions on two Pithoi from Kuntillet ʿAjrud. In: Vetus Testamentum 38, 1987, ISSN  0042-4935 , pp. 180-213.
  • Judith M. Hadley: The Cult of the Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah. Evidence for a Hebrew Goddess (= University of Cambridge Oriental Publications 57). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000, ISBN 0-521-66235-4 , chapter 5.
  • Zeev Meshel: Teman, Horvat. In: The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. Volume 4: Petra - Ziqim. Index. Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem 1993, ISBN 0-13-276320-6 , pp. 1458-1464.
  • Ze'ev Meshel: Kuntillet ʿAjrud (Ḥorvat Teman). An Iron Age II Religious Site on the Judah-Sinai Border. Israel Exploration Society, Jerusalem 2012. ISBN 978-965-221-088-3
  • Johannes Renz, Wolfgang Röllig : Handbook of ancient Hebrew epigraphy Volume 1: Johannes Renz: The ancient Hebrew inscriptions, Part 1: Text and commentary. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1995, ISBN 3-534-12295-X , pp. 47-64.
  • Brian B. Schmidt: The Iron Age "Pithoi" Drawings From Horvat Teman or Kuntillet ʿAjrud: Some New Proposals. In: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions Vol. 2, No. 1, 2002, ISSN  1569-2116 , pp. 91–125 doi : 10.1163 / 156921202762733905 .
  • Othmar Keel, Max Küchler, Christoph Uehlinger: Places and landscapes of the Bible

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-a-strange-drawing-could-undermine-our-entire-idea-of-judaism-1.5973328
  2. ↑ Othmar Keel , Christoph Uehlinger: Göttinnen, Götter und Gottessymbole , Friborg, Academic Press Friborg pp. 237–238.
  3. ^ Judith M. Hadley: Some Drawings and Inscriptions on Two Pithoi from Kuntillet 'Ajrud. 1987, pp. 180-213.
  4. ^ Judith M. Hadley: Some Drawings and Inscriptions on Two Pithoi from Kuntillet 'Ajrud. 1987, p. 182.
  5. ↑ William G. Dever: Asherah, Consort of Yahweh? New Evidence from Kuntillet ʿAjrûd.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.dragonspiritcoven.org