Israeli archaeologists have discovered the remnants of a 2,750-year-old temple near Jerusalem, including some pottery and clay figurines that suggest it was once the headquarters for a ritual cult, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday.
In a statement released by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, excavation directors Anna Eirikh, Hamoudi Khalaily and Shua Kisilevitz said, "The ritual building at Tel Motza is an unusual and striking find, in light of the fact that there are hardly any remains of ritual buildings of the period in Judaea at the time of the First Temple."
According to the Bible, the First Temple was built in Jerusalem by Solomon, the son of King David. NBC News reported that archaeologists believe that the construction of the First Temple occurred during the 10th century B.C.
Tel Motza, where the temple remains were discovered, is located to nearly 3 miles west of Jerusalem, NBC News reported. Excavation directors added that the temple found at Tel Motza was likely active during an era "prior to the religious reforms throughout the kingdom at the end of the monarchic period (at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah), which abolished all ritual sites, concentrating ritual practices solely at the Temple in Jerusalem."
HuffPost World reported that this is not the first time that archaeological artifacts have been discovered at Tel Motza. Previous discoveries have yielded numerous artifacts from different time periods. According to NBC News, archaeologist previously discovered a large structure with storehouses and numerous silos.
The temple remains were described as having "massive walls" and a wide, east-facing entrance, site directors said. They added, "The rays of the sun rising in the east would have illuminated the object placed inside the temple first, symbolizing the divine presence within."
Inside the temple, a square structure that may have been an altar was found, HuffPost World reported. A multitude of ritual artifacts were found nearby, which included pottery chalice fragments, decorated ritual pedestals and pottery figurines.
Of the discovery, the directors said, "The find of the sacred structure, together with the accompanying cache of sacred vessels, and especially the significant coastal influence evident in the anthropomorphic figurines, still require extensive research."