A Moabite Sanctuary at Khirbat al-Mudayna

The discovery at Khirbat al-Mudayna on the Wadi ath-Thamad of a small temple within a walled town in central Jordan is a first for ancient Moab. This building, identified as a sanctuary on the basis of its plastered benches and limestone altars, is not a national temple with direct access entry. Rather, it is a local sanctuary, with indirect access from an alleyway that runs parallel to the south wall of the innermost room of the six-chambered gate. This paper includes a report on Sanctuary 149, excavated during the 1999 season. Of greatest interest are the three stone altars; two are painted, and one is also inscribed. These altars, each of a different type, suggest the range of cultic activities practiced in such a temple. Due to its position adjacent to the gate and to its construction history, the sanctuary probably dates to the early eighth century B. C.