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A newly published study in the journal Levant by archaeologist Levana Tsfania-Zias has revealed that ritual cleansing played a central role in religious life at the Tel Dan sanctuary. The study focuses on a sacred precinct believed to have been active for nearly five centuries, during which local and foreign worshipers may have taken part in bathing rituals as part of religious purification.
Located around 12 kilometers from Qiryat Shemona, near the springs feeding into the Jordan River, Tel Dan sits on an imposing Middle Bronze Age rampart overlooking the surrounding landscape. Archaeological work began at the site in 1969 under Avraham Biran and continued through 1994. Excavations later resumed between 2005 and 2022 under the direction of David Ilan and Yifat Thareani.
The temple complex is rectangular in layout, consisting of a porch or entrance room, a central hall called a cella—typically the main worship space—and a smaller rear room known as an adyton, often reserved for sacred objects or priestly functions. This structure hints at the temple’s ritual significance and controlled access.
One of the major discoveries occurred in 1976, when archaeologists found a carved limestone slab with a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic. The message reads: “To the God who is in Dan, Zoilos made a vow. In Dan(?) a vow of Zilas to God.” The identity of this god remains unclear. While some early scholars suggested the Middle Eastern deity, others point out that it could refer to a local or unknown god, following a broader Near Eastern naming tradition of calling deities by their cities.
Archaeological evidence shows that ritual cleansing had a place in the sanctuary’s original design and continued into later phases. After the original temple was destroyed, likely during the Seleucid period, a second temple was constructed in the same location. This later structure mirrored the layout of its predecessor and introduced a dedicated ritual bathing unit. The unit consisted of two sections: a yellow-plastered dressing room and a blue-plastered basin area.
Notably, the bath was too small for full immersion and lacked a hypocaust—a heating system used in Roman baths—indicating that the purification was performed standing, with cold water. The bath’s entrance, located west of the porch and leading directly into the cella, suggests that this space was intended for priests rather than the broader public.
Following a roughly 200-year abandonment, the temple saw renewed activity during the Middle to Late Roman period, between the end of the first and early fouth centuries A.D. In this phase, a Fountain House was added to the sanctuary. This new installation allowed pilgrims to wash themselves before entering the sacred space, reflecting a broader shift toward public participation in cleansing rituals.
Excavations at the site have uncovered plain, local clay vessels likely purchased and used by pilgrims for purification purposes. These were possibly broken and discarded after use—a ritual act also referenced in biblical texts.
According to Tsfania-Zias, the temple likely served both the immediate local population and regional visitors. While the sanctuary was primarily a local religious center, the presence of imported ceramics and a multilingual inscription suggests that it attracted pilgrims from beyond the surrounding area.
Despite these insights, comparisons with purification practices at other Phoenician religious sites remain limited. As Tsfania-Zias notes, “Unfortunately, there is a lacuna in the available data, and I do not currently have access to such information.” Future excavations planned in Area T may provide further clues about the identity of the god worshiped at the site and the people who came to honor him.
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