Philistine Temples In Gath (Tell es-Safi)

Gath Context

(February 14, 2024) These two temples existed for the whole range of Gath's existence as a city (1100 to 604 BCE). Philistine Gath along with its prosperity (10,000 population) and its first temple was destroyed after being weakened by the Elijah drought (845-850 BCE) around 830 BCE. The destroyer is assumed to be King Hazael of Damascus. Its second temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 604 BCE.

Location of Gath Temples

(February 14, 2024) These temples were located just outside the city to serve the trade route passing by. The large hill is the ancient city of Gath.

Reference

Suembikya Frumin, Aren M. Maeir, Maria Eniukhina, Amit Dagan & Ehud Weiss (2024) Plant‑related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath. Scientific Reports 14, 3513.Online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52974-9

Large 2-Handed Chalices From the 2nd Temple.

(February 14, 2024) These would have been used in rituals.

Reference

(February 14, 2024) The walls of the temple after excavation. From this the plan of the buildings must be derived. Lower walls are assumbed to be from an earlier time and covered up with a floor.

(February 15, 2024) This is the small first temple (built 900's BCE. It opens up to the south. Its courtyard has an oven. The sanctuary has two sections in the same room. The left side has the 3 pillars bases probably holding 3 wooden pole to represent trees. The right side presumably would have had a small lightweight alter which was looted.

Reference

Illustration from: Suembikya Frumin, Aren M. Maeir, Maria Eniukhina, Amit Dagan & Ehud Weiss (2024) Plant‑related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath. Scientific Reports 14, 3513.Online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52974-9

(February 14, 2024) This is the large second temple which was built sometime after 830 BCE. It actually has two different sanctuaries like the temple at Serbit el-Khadim in the Sinai. Both are entered on the north side through their own courtyard (CN for the left side). The other courtyard has an oven called a tabun in the illustration.

An altar is in the center of section TC near the south wall facing north. The right north-south wall from the earlier temple shown probably would not have been there because it makes the sanctuary too small and squeezes the altar into a corner.

The other sanctuary is on the right which has 3 pillars representing trees. This would be the sanctuary devoted to the life powers with the deities likely representing the 3 layers of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm being Alu. Hu and Ayu, and Yahu. This is where the two-handed chalices were found buried against the south wall. This makes the other sanctuary for the motion powers with the most likely deity being Thu. The word "Gath" is an Akkadian phrase meaning "Energy of Thu" from G.Ṭ.

Reference

Ritual Containers from 2nd Temple Storage Room (TE)

(February 14, 2024) These seem to have been swept onto the floor from a shelf by looters prior to the 2nd temple's destruction.

Reference

Photo from: Suembikya Frumin, Aren M. Maeir, Maria Eniukhina, Amit Dagan & Ehud Weiss (2024) Plant‑related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath. Scientific Reports 14, 3513.Online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52974-9

Altar from the 1st Temple

(February 14, 2024) Most of the wild plant remains were found around this altar.

Reference

photo from: Suembikya Frumin, Aren M. Maeir, Maria Eniukhina, Amit Dagan & Ehud Weiss (2024) Plant‑related Philistine ritual practices at biblical Gath. Scientific Reports 14, 3513.Online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52974-9

Plant Remains Show Flowers and Herbs in Temple

(February 14, 2024) Most of the plant remains in the temple complex involve plants which could be used for food or bedding for humans and/or animals. Presumably, the thick walls of the temple complex would have remained standing after the city's destruction and so it would have been become home to refugees. Consequently, they only thing we can deduce from that data (blue and orange bars). is that the temple courtyard was used for final food preparation and food consumption. The rooms surrounding it including the temple rooms would have been used for sleeping and even initial food plant storage prior to final food preparation.

Yet what is really significant are the wild plants (grey bar) only seen in the temple rooms. The authors of the paper were able to determine what those were.

Reference

Crown Daisy

(February 16, 2024) Crown daisy (Glebionis coronaria) was found in the temples (paper does not say where). Yellow represents the sun while white is the celestial light of the heavenly bodies. Hence, it would correspond to the cooperation between the two.

References

https://www.best-home-remedies.com/herbal_medicine/herbs/chaste-tree.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glebionis_coronaria

Pedanius Dioscorides (60 CE) Materia Medica. Online at: https://archive.org/details/Dioscorides_Materia_Medica

Chaste Tree Fruit

(February 16, 2024) Photo shows dried chaste tree fruits still on the tree. About 100 chaste tree fruits were found scatted about in the first temple. The Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is an aromatic shrub of the mint family (Lamiaceae; formerly placed in Verbenaceae) native to Eurasia. Its pliable twigs are used in basketry. It is also called lilac chaste tree, chaste berry, monk’s pepper tree, or wild lavender.

Its herb form comes from drying its ripened fruit. It can then be used as a spice or in teas or tinctures. It tends to make smooth muscles more sensitive to contraction (hence its use for various reproductive ailments) and seems to decrease libido.

According to legend, monks chewed chaste-tree leaves to help them maintain their celibacy vows. The herb comes from the dried, ripened fruits and root bark of Vitex agnus-castus. A German formulation of chaste tree is used for certain menstrual disorders, premenstrual syndrome, breast pain, Inadequate lactation, and menopause symptoms

Ancient medical author Pedanius Dioscorides (60 CE) wrote about this fruit in chapter 1 section 39 of his herbology book De Materia Medica He called the fruits bitter almonds. One copy of the book had some plants illustrated by an anonymous Byzantine in 512 CE and those illustrations have been reproduced in later print editions. This helps makes more certain many identifications.

De Materia Medica (Latin name for the Greek Peri Hulēs Iatrikēs meaning "On Medical Material") is a 5 volume text on medical plants written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician in the Roman army. It was widely read for more than 1,500 years until supplanted by revised herbals in the Renaissance.

His book entry is:

1-39. ELAION AMYGDALINON (Oil of Almonds)

Amagdalinum oil or metopium is made as follows. Having picked and dried four quarts of bitter almonds beat them gently with a wooden pestle in a mortar until they are pulped. Pour on them one pint of hot water and let them absorb it for half an hour, from which time beat it strongly again. Then press it on a board, squeeze it out, and take that which sticks to your fingers into a spoon. Afterwards pour a half-pint of water into that which was squeezed out, and allow it to be absorbed, and repeat as before. Four quarts of seeds make one half-pint of oil. It is effective against womb pains, constriction, the womb turning around, and things that darken the same places, as well as headaches, ear problems, resonance, and tinnitus. It helps inflammation of the kidneys, illness meientes [urination], stones [urinary, kidney], asthma and splenitis. Furthermore it removes spots from the face, sunburn, and wrinkles on the skin mixed with honey, the root of lily and Cyprian rosewax. With wine it mends moisture of the pupils of the eye, and removes penetrative ulcers and dandruff.

References

https://www.best-home-remedies.com/herbal_medicine/herbs/chaste-tree.htm

https://www.britannica.com/plant/chaste-tree

Pedanius Dioscorides (60 CE) Materia Medica. Online at: https://archive.org/details/Dioscorides_Materia_Medica

Chaste Tree Flowers

(February 16, 2024)In rituals this plant may have been used for either its purple color or for its herbal properties. Purple is the traditional mystic color worldwide because purple is a common color seen when in a meditative state. Each flower if pollenated became a berry/seed.

References

https://www.best-home-remedies.com/herbal_medicine/herbs/chaste-tree.htm

https://www.britannica.com/plant/chaste-tree