An important and unusual discovery was made in archaeological excavations earlier this year in the Tel Lachish National Park in Israel: a gate-shrine dating from the First Temple period (eighth century BCE), in what archaeologists consider compelling evidence of King Hezekiah’s efforts to abolish worship there.

The archaeological excavation was conducted from January to March by the Israel Antiquities Authority, at the initiative of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and in co-operation with the Nature and Parks Authority, in order to further the continued development of the Tel Lachish National Park.

The northern part of the gate was uncovered decades ago by a British expedition and an expedition of the Tel Aviv University, and the current excavation was engaged in completely exposing the gate. The gate that was revealed in the excavation is the largest one known in the country from the First Temple period.

Sa’ar Ganor, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “The size of the gate is consistent with the historical and archaeological knowledge we possess, whereby Lachish was a major city and the most important one after Jerusalem. According to the biblical narrative, the city’s gates were the place where ‘everything took place’: the city elders, judges, governors, kings and officials – everyone would sit on benches in the city gate. These benches were found in our excavation.”

The Lachish city gate, which is now completely exposed and preserved to a height of four metres, consists of six chambers, three on either side, and the city’s main street that passed between them. Artifacts discovered in its rooms indicate how they were used: in the first chamber were benches with armrests, at the foot of which were numerous finds including jars, a large number of scoops for loading grain, and stamped jar handles that bear the name of the official or a “lmlk” (belonging to the king) seal impression.

Two of the handles have the seal impression “lmlk hbrn” (belonging to the king of Hebron). The word “lmlk” is written on one of the handles, together with a depiction of a four-winged beetle (scarab), and another impression bears the name “lnhm avadi”, who was probably a senior official during the reign of King Hezekiah. It seems that these jars were related to the military and administrative preparations of the Kingdom of Judah in the war against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the late eighth century BCE.

The continuation of the building is the gate-shrine, whose walls were treated with white plaster. According to Ganor, “Steps to the gate-shrine in the form of a staircase ascended to a large room where there was a bench upon which offerings were placed.