Rare 3,600-Year-Old Pagan Canaanite Treasure Trove Found In Judean Foothills

Israeli archaeologists have announced the discovery of a rare treasure of gold and silver objects dating back about 3,600 years to the Middle Bronze Age, or the Canaanite period. They were found in the archaeological site of the Tel Gezer National Park, in the Judean foothills near Beit Shemesh.

The excavation was conducted by Dr. Tzvika Tzuk, Director of Archaeology for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority in collaboration Dr. Eli Yanai, a retired Israel Antiquities Authority researcher and Drs. Dan Warner and Jim Parker from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

The treasure constitutes a foundation deposit for the rooms which, according to the archaeologists, represented offerings to deities, a theory supported by the administrative nature of the building and its proximity to the city gates.

This is a foundation deposit, we found it underneath the house. They placed it there to appease the gods so that their house would still stand. These are the tallest preserved walls from this time period anywhere in Israel,” Dr. Warner told Tazpit Press Service (TPS).