5.1.1. Rujm al-Kursi

The site of Rujm al-Kursi discussed above in relation to the moon-god (§ 4.3.1), despite not being fully published, may well provide the clearest example of an Ammonite temple or sanctuary. The major remains excavated at the site have been Byzantine or Umayyad in date (Hübner 2009, p. 146). Although it has not been excavated yet, the contours of an Iron IIC building that might be a temple are visible (Figure 12).

<sup>51</sup> Tell Damiyah is very close to the traditional border of the Ammonites along the Zarka River, and might eventually prove to be Ammonite as excavations progress further. Regardless of its political affiliation, which we may never know for sure, its location near a ford in Jordan River make it a potentially important node for traffic through the area.

<sup>52</sup> For recent discussions of temples and other cult places in the Levant and the ancient Near East, see (Elkowicz 2012; Hundley 2013).

**Figure 12.** Isometric plan of the Rujm al-Kursi temple (Hübner 2015, p. 194, abb. 3).

The structure is oriented east–west, with the entrance facing east, an orientation typical of Iron Age temples. The outer dimensions of the structure are approximately 18.70 m × 12.60 m, with walls 1.50–1.60 m thick. The walls on either side of the entrance are 2.60 m thick. On either side of the entrance, there is a smoothed, nearly cubical block of limestone measuring slightly less than 1.0 m per side. On the front face of each block there is a relief presenting a lunar crescent standing on a table supported by a pillar (Hübner 2009, pp. 147–49; Figure 3).

The location of these reliefs at the entrance to the building suggests its identification as a temple to a moon-god. Compared with other representations of crescents in Syro-Palestine, the reliefs probably date to the seventh century; a more secure dating must wait for full publication of the pottery and excavations of the site. If the building does date to the seventh century, it furnishes evidence for the development of the region under Neo-Assyrian rule, and may provide evidence for the local adoption of the worship of Sîn of Harran, or at least the use of a symbol very much like his (Hübner 2009, pp. 149–51).<sup>53</sup>
