Was Ancient Stone Toilet Placed in Biblical Shrine To Destroy It?
Image by Israel Antiquities Authority
By Naomi Zeveloff October 5, 2016
A stone toilet discovered at an archaeological site in Israel was probably used to defile a shrine, archaeologists said.
The shrine and the toilet were discovered by archaeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority in an ongoing excavation of Tel Lachish National Park.
Tel Lachish is believed to be the site of an ancient biblical city, second only in importance to Jerusalem.
The large stone toilet, which appears to never have been used, was placed inside the shrine to desecrate it to abolish Tel Lachish as a site of religious worship.
This was likely part of a sweeping religious reform by King Hezekia of Judah, who wanted Jerusalem to be the central site of worship, not Tel Lachish.
Archaeologists pull the ancient toilet out of the shrine at Tel Lachish. Image by Igor Kramerman
Sa’ar Ganor, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, said that the toilet was “symbolic,” put in place before the shrine was sealed off.
It also seems to substantiate a practice referenced in the Hebrew bible in II Kings 10:27 when Jehu destroyed the cult Ba’al in Samaria and a “latrine” was made out of the Ba’al religious site.
“This is the first time that an archeological find confirms this phenomenon,” said Ganor.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected] or on Twitter @naomizeveloff
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
