<< Our Photo Pages >> East Uvda valley cult sites - Ancient Temple in Israel
Submitted by motist on Thursday, 03 May 2012 Page Views: 4139
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: East Uvda valley cult sites Alternative Name: Wadi 'UkfeyCountry: Israel Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Eilat Nearest Village: Ma'ale Shacharut
Latitude: 29.953359N Longitude: 34.969208E
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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In the ancient satlment in E' uvda valley 100s of sites, among it some cult sites and Matseboth.
Prehistoric Sites in the Uvda Valley
This valley is located in the mountainous region northwest of Eilat. It is covered with rich alluvial soil from the surrounding mountains. In Neolithic times (8th-4th millennia BCE) there was more rainfall in this region than there is today. This created a savannah environment, permitting human hunter-gatherers to live on wild grains and on the meat of hunted animals (deer, gazelle, wild ass and birds).
The Nahal Ashrun site, in the eastern part of the valley, has been almost completely excavated. This site, of some 400 square meters, dates from the 8th-7th millennia BCE and consists of several dozen rounded stone dwellings, two to four meters in diameter, built close together. The inhabitants of this Neolithic village were hunters, as evidenced by hundreds of flint arrowheads and bones of undomesticated animals found in the dwellings; they also gathered wild grain, which they ground on the primitive grindstones found in the settlement.
Another cult site in the Uvda Valley, an open-air sanctuary, consists of a 12 x 12 m. square courtyard surrounded by a low stone wall. The corners of this structure correspond to the four points of the compass. Three conical basins containing ashes were found in the courtyard and in the center of a ritual cell stood sixteen 20 to 30 cm. high upright stones. Carbon-14 tests provided a 6th millennium BCE date for the site.
A short distance from the sanctuary, a group of sixteen life-size representations of animals, made of small rectangular pieces of limestone, were found embedded into the ground. Fifteen of them face east and represent leopards with square heads, huge eyes, four legs and an upward-curving tail. One horned animal faces west, the slightly twisted horns suggesting an antelope. Is it possible that this was a cult-site where supplication to the gods for protection of the shepherds and their flocks against predators (leopards) was practiced thousands of years ago?
During the Chalcolithic period (4th millennium BCE), an agricultural revolution took place in the region. Hunting and gathering of grain were replaced by cultivation of barley and wheat and by herds of domesticated goats and sheep. Small settlements with planned stone dwellings and stone-lined grain silos dug into the ground were uncovered throughout the valley. Harvesting of the grain was done with sickles of bone or wood, into which toothed flint blades had been inserted; the grain was ground on grindstones, many of which were found in the dwellings.
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Nearby sites
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
278m NNE 15° Leopards Open Sanctuary* Ancient Temple
1.1km SSW 206° Uvda Valley habitation site No 18* Ancient Village or Settlement
1.4km SSW 202° Uvda Valley habitation site No 9* Ancient Village or Settlement
4.6km SE 124° Mount Shacharut* Ancient Temple
5.4km ESE 108° Southern Itro pass * Stone Row / Alignment
5.7km E 83° Itro pass Roded Figurines* Ancient Temple
6.4km SE 139° S' of Shacharut pass Open Air Sanctuaries* Ancient Temple
6.4km ENE 74° Top Itro pass 7 Matseboth* Standing Stone (Menhir)
6.6km S 176° Wadi 'Isaron* Ancient Village or Settlement
7.1km S 174° North wadi Tse'ela open air sanctuary* Ancient Temple
7.5km S 175° Wadi Tse'ela Habitation site* Ancient Village or Settlement
7.7km N 4° Upper Wadi Hayun* Standing Stones
7.9km NNE 24° Mt. Na'atsuts cluster of megalithic Matseboth* Standing Stone (Menhir)
8.0km SE 138° Zugan Pass Cult Site* Ancient Temple
8.7km SW 215° Wadi Hagdera-'Uvda camp & cult site* Ancient Village or Settlement
9.2km NE 53° Mount Ayah* Ancient Temple
9.3km ENE 65° Grofit hights* Ancient Temple
9.9km WSW 240° South 'Uvda Valley Matseboth* Standing Stones
11.2km NE 52° Mt. 'Ai'it sites* Ancient Temple
12.4km NE 44° Upper Wadi Qtura Flint Workshop* Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry
12.4km NE 44° Upper Wadi Qtura Massebah* Standing Stone (Menhir)
12.5km NE 48° Upper Qtura Pass Masseboth* Standing Stones
12.8km NE 55° lower wadi Qtura* Ancient Village or Settlement
13.3km NNE 31° Mt. Shizzafon camp site* Ancient Village or Settlement
13.4km SW 217° North Sayarim Valley Rock Carving* Rock Art
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Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.