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2,700-year-old standing stone may offer new evidence of King Hezekiah's ... A 2,700-year-old standing stone unearthed at Tel Eton in the Judean Lowlands may provide fresh evidence for the religious reforms traditionally attributed to the biblical King Hezekiah, according to a new study by a Bar-Ilan University archaeologist. Published in theJerusalem Journal of Archaeology, the study by Prof. Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University’s Department of General History examines a large cultic standing stone, or massebah, that was discovered during excavations at the site and appears to have been deliberately removed from ritual use without being destroyed. The find could offer a rare glimpse into religious change in the Kingdom of Judah during the late eighth century BCE, when biblical accounts describe Hezekiah as abolishing local places of worship and centralizing religious practice in Jerusalem. For decades, scholars have debated whether those reforms occurred as described in the Bible or whether the accounts reflect a later ideological tradition. Archaeological evidence has traditionally focused on clear public cultic contexts such as Arad and Beersheba, where interpretations remain…

2,700-Year-Old Standing Stone Reveals Hezekiah's Religious Reforms Gary Manners June 18 / 2026 Getting your audio player ready... A massive 2,700-year-old standing stone discovered in a large Iron Age mansion in the Judean Lowlands may provide compelling new evidence for the sweeping religious reforms carried out by the biblical King Hezekiah. Found carefully laid on its side and incorporated into a platform within a domestic setting at Tel 'Eton, the discovery offers a rare glimpse into how the centralization of worship affected everyday life in the ancient Kingdom of Judah. The finding suggests that religious changes extended far beyond official temples and public spaces, deeply impacting domestic religious practices. According to a new study by Professor Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University, published in the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology , the 1.4-meter (4.6-foot) tall stone, weighing approximately 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds), was originally a massebah, or cultic standing stone. These stones were common features of religious devotion in the ancient Near East. The fact that this particular stone was decommissioned but not destroyed aligns perfectly with the biblical account …

Rare cultic stone from Israelite mansion may testify to King Hezekiah’s biblical reform <p>A massive 2,750-year-old artifact found at Tel 'Eton might have been repurposed after a clampdown on worship outside the Temple in Jerusalem</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-cultic-stone-from-israelite-mansion-may-testify-to-king-hezekiahs-biblical-reform/">Rare cultic stone from Israelite mansion may testify to King Hezekiah’s biblical reform</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com">The Times of Israel</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2026/06/Fig-8-2015-Aerial_DSC4630-3-Large-1-1024x640.jpg" title="Rare cultic stone from Israelite mansion may testify to King Hezekiah’s biblical reform" border="0" width="160" height="100" class="type:primaryImage"></figure>

2,800-year-old structure unearthed in Israel was likely used for cultic ... An illustration of the newly unearthed structure as it likely stood 2,800 years ago. (Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority) Share Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a series of stone rooms and objects that were likely used for worship and ritual practices in the Kingdom of Judah 2,800 years ago, they say. The discovery is the only known ritual structure from this period in Jerusalem and one of just a handful unearthed so far in Israel, according to a statement . Among the ruins of eight rock-cut chambers, archaeologists found an oil press, a winepress, an altar and a large standing stone, or sacred pillar, known as a "massebah" in the Hebrew Bible. These artifacts date back to the First Temple period (1200 to 586 B.C.) of ancient Israel , suggesting ritual and cultic practices took place close to the First Temple — the first Jewish temple, built by King Solomon, in which to worship God, according to Jewish tradition — whi…

Ancient Israelite mansion stone may provide evidence of King Hezekiah's ... Read this article in: Tel ‘Eton (Photo: Griffin Higher Photography for Tel 'Eton Archaeological Expedition) A 2,750-year-old standing stone discovered in an Israelite mansion at Tel Eton , south of Jerusalem, could provide new archaeological evidence related to the biblical King Hezekiah’s efforts to centralize Jewish worship in Jerusalem, according to a new study from Bar-Ilan University. The study, authored by Prof. Avraham Faust, argues that the artifact may have functioned as a massebah , or standing stone, a religious feature commonly used throughout the ancient Near East. If the interpretation is correct, its apparent destruction could align with Hezekiah’s biblical campaign against local worship sites and religious symbols outside of Jerusalem. The ancient artifact weighs around 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds) and measures 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) high. “Standing stones were a common religious feature in the ancient Middle East and beyond from prehistory to a much later period, and are attested in both archaeological finds and written sources, including in the Bible,” Faust said in an interview with The T…

Israelite mansion stone may show evidence of King Hezekiah | World Tel ‘Eton | Griffin Higher Photography for Tel 'Eton Archaeological Expedition A 2,750-year-old standing stone discovered in an Israelite mansion at Tel Eton , south of Jerusalem, could provide new archaeological evidence related to the biblical King Hezekiah’s efforts to centralize Jewish worship in Jerusalem, according to a new study from Bar-Ilan University. The study, authored by professor Avraham Faust, argues that the artifact may have functioned as a massebah, or standing stone, a religious feature commonly used throughout the ancient Near East. If the interpretation is correct, its apparent destruction could align with Hezekiah’s biblical campaign against local worship sites and religious symbols outside of Jerusalem. The ancient artifact weighs around 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds) and measures 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) high. “Standing stones were a common religious feature in the ancient Middle East and beyond from prehistory to a much later period, and are attested in both archaeological finds and written sources, including in the Bible,” Faust said in an interview with The Times of Israel. “People used large …

3000-Year-Old Temple and Sacred Vessels Unearthed Near Jerusalem By JTA December 26, 2012 A temple and sacred vessels from the First Temple period were discovered near Jerusalem. The nearly 3,000-year-old temple was unearthed by the Israel Antiquities Authority during excavations at the Tel Motza archaeological site west of Jerusalem, prior to work being carried out on a planned expansion of Highway 1. “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 Judea at the time of the First Temple. The uniqueness of the structure is even more remarkable because of the vicinity of the site’s proximity to the capital city of Jerusalem, which acted as the Kingdom’s main sacred center at the time,” Anna Eirikh, Dr. Hamoudi Khalaily and Shua Kisilevitz, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement. Many finds have previously been uncovered at the Tel Motza site, from a variety of different periods. Among the vessels unearthed in this recent find are ritual pottery vessels, with fragments of chalices (bowls on a high base which were used i…

2,700-Year-Old Cult Stone Found in Assyrian-Destroyed Mansion Reopens ... A massive 2,700-year-oldcult stonefound inside an Assyrian-destroyed mansion at Tel ‘Eton is adding new weight to the debate overHezekiah’s Reform,while also showing how religious life may have reached beyond temples and into the homes of Iron Age Judah. The stone, about 1.4 meters high and weighing roughly 750 kilograms, was discovered at Tel ‘Eton, an Iron Age site in the Judean Shephelah, the lowland region between the hill country of Judah and the coastal plain. According to a new study by archaeologist Avraham Faust, the object may once have stood upright as a “massebah,” a cultic standing stone used in ancient Near Eastern religious practice. The study, published in the 2026 volume of the peer-reviewedJerusalem Journal of Archaeology,does not claim to prove Hezekiah’s reform. Its argument is more careful. The Tel ‘Eton stone may preserve evidence for cultic change inside a domestic setting, a part of ancient Judahite religion that has received less attention than temples and public shrines. The stone was found in Building 101, a large residence at Tel ‘Eton. The structure follows the general plan of…