Late Bronze Age Votive Set Unearthed in Israel

Archaeology Magazine ^ | November 14, 2025 | editors / unattributed

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According to a Live Science report, an archaeological investigation conducted ahead of a road construction project in northern Israel, near the ancient city of Tel Meggido, has unearthed a teapot-shaped vessel with a ram's head as a spout and a few small bowls. The items were buried together some 3,300 years ago, possibly by the Canaanites. Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said that the vessel was likely used to pour a valuable liquid such as milk, oil, or wine into someone's mouth or a smaller vessel to be consumed, or poured out as a religious offering. Storage jars, jugs imported from Cyprus, and a dollhouse-sized ceramic model of a Canaanite temple were also discovered in small pits during the investigation. Local farmers, unable to travel to a temple in the city, may have buried their offerings here using a rock outcrop as an outdoor altar. The excavation team also uncovered a 5,000-year-old winepress carved into the rock in an ancient residential area. "The winepress is unique, one of very few known from such an ancient period when urbanization first took place in our region," concluded IAA archaeologist Barak Tzin. To read about a recent redating of the contents of a jug unearthed at Megiddo in the 1930s, go to "Secrets of a Silver Hoard."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: bronzeage; cyprus; godsgravesglyphs; israel; megiddo

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Set of utensils likely used for ceremonial pouring, including a ram-shaped vessel (center)

Katerina Katzan, Israel Antiquities Authority

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