An ancient temple dating from 9-10 centuries BC was discovered in western Jerusalem, the find sheds light on religious representations of the inhabitants of Judea of that period, the portal reports on Wednesday Times of Israel, citing a statement from the Office of Antiquities Of Israel. 
Photo from open sources Temple discovered in the area of Tel Motsa (Tel Motza) during archaeological work, was built near those thousand years ago during the period of the kingdom of Judah, when in The Temple of Solomon was already erected in Jerusalem. “Discovered by us the construction is unusual and surprising, especially considering the fact that practically no buildings of that period reached us “, – reported in a statement. Management Representative Anna Eirich (Anna Eirikh) adds that “little is known to scholars about religious practices of the kingdom of Judea, found only about two or three similar temples. “Artifacts found inside the building, such as the remains of the altar, ritual clay vessels and figures of people and horses, give scientists reason to believe that the population of the region period retained some of the beliefs and practices of the pre-Jewish era. The structure had massive walls and a wide entrance from the east side, like most temples in the Middle East of that time. Later, during the religious reforms of the 7th century BC, most temples were destroyed in order to turn the Jerusalem temple into single religious center of the Jews. The area of Tel Motz represents great archaeological value, artifacts are often found here different eras. According to researchers, it was here the biblical city of Motz, mentioned in the Book of Joshua.
Ancient artifacts
