JERUSALEM, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 3,200-year-old decorated divine scepter, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) said on Wednesday.
The scepter, made of bronze and coated in silver, was unearthed in its original form by HU researchers at the Canaanite Temple in the southern Tel Lachish archaeological site, as part of a study published in the journal Antiquity.
The objects' basis is narrow, and its body is wide, measuring 11.2 centimeters long and 42 millimeters wide.
The decorations on the scepter include 64 dots spread in four different areas, a large circle and straight lines that besides some of the dots.
Nearby, the team also found two figurines of a Canaanite warrior, probably the god Baal.
One of the proofs that the scepter had religious importance is its similarity to an object held by a god statute previously found in excavations in the Canaanite city of Megiddo in northern Israel.
Surprisingly, the Megiddo object is also decorated with dots, a large circle and straight lines.
The researchers said that the scepter and figurines found in Lachish join similar findings found on other archaeological sites in Israel, all together making a clear picture of the Canaanite gods.
Many beads, weapons and gold objects were also recently found in the Canaanite temple.
The researchers estimate that these findings were also parts of a large, disintegrated or looted god sculpture. Enditem
