*3.5. Mudayna Thamad*

A smaller possibly cultic building was unearthed at Khirbet al-Mudayna in the Wadi ath-Thamad, located in the norther part of ancient Moab and dating to the 7th century BC (Daviau and Steiner 2000). The structure (B149) was 5.5 × 5.5 m with plastered benches on three sides (Figure 5). Two pillars connected by a bench divided the room into the main area and a small annex.

**Figure 5.** Plan of Building 149 at Mudayna Thamad (Courtesy Wadi ath-Thamad Project).

One libation altar and two shaft altars, all three made of stone, were found inside the building, one bearing an inscription reading "the incense altar that Elishama made for YSP, the daughter of WT" (Dion and Daviau 2000; Daviau 2002; Rainey 2002). Other finds in the shrine include five ceramic oil

<sup>2</sup> http://www.rollstonepigraphy.com/?p=631.

lamps, several fragmentary female figurines, two large stone pegs, two Wadjet-eye amulets, two murex shells, a spouted vessel and some beads. Some household pottery (bowls, storage jars) was also found.

It seems that most material was removed from the building when the town was attacked and it was used to forge iron arrowheads. A large pit was cut into the floor and later resealed while the building was still in use. Only a few objects were found in this pit: ceramic sherds from seven fragmentary vessels and a stone with a depression, possibly a mould for the manufacture of metal tools.

The courtyard west of the building was an open plaza behind the gate through which one entered the town. Embedded in the floor of the plaza, thousands of animal bones were excavated, mostly of sheep and goat. These remains have been tentatively interpreted as butchering waste for rituals involving the offering of meat in the shrine (Popkin 2009). However, the connection with B149 is not clear.

The town was destroyed when it was attacked around 600 BC. It is remarkable that the gate and many buildings in the town were destroyed by a heavy fire, but that the shrine remained relatively unscathed. This can be coincidental, or the attackers respected the shrine and did not set fire to it.

The identification of the building as a shrine or small temple was based on its architecture with benches, the (admittedly few) finds therein, particularly the three altars and the stone pegs, the inscription on the stone altar and the animal bones on the adjacent courtyard, possibly the remains of meat offerings in the building. To which deity the place was dedicated is unknown.
