Archaeologists reveal unusual ritual objects from ancient biblical cult at Armageddon site

Ritual artifacts belonging to the Canaanites, an past radical referenced successful the Old Testament, were precocious recovered successful Israel — on with a 5,000-year-old vino press.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the find adjacent Tel Megiddo connected Nov. 5. The excavation was carried retired alongside the operation of Highway 66 successful the Jezreel Valley.

Tel Megiddo is famously referenced successful the Book of Revelation. The tract is referred to arsenic "Armageddon," intimately related to the Hebrew operation "Har Megiddo," which translates to "mountain of Megiddo."

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER 1,600-YEAR-OLD WINE FACTORY HIDDEN NEAR ANCIENT MOUNTAIN CASTLE

In presumption of clip frame, the finds ranged from Israel's Early Bronze Age, astir 3000 B.C., to the Late Bronze Age, astir 1270 B.C.

The standout artifact was the rock-carved vino press, which officials described arsenic the oldest ever discovered successful Israel.

Archaeologists uncovered artifacts and a 5,000-year-old vino property adjacent Tel Megiddo, a tract linked to biblical Armageddon, depicted astatine right. (Assaf Peretz, Israel Antiquities Authority; Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

"This vino property is unique, 1 of precise fewer known from specified an past play erstwhile urbanization archetypal took spot successful our region," officials said successful a statement.

"Until now, indirect grounds indicated that vino could person been produced 5,000 years ago, but we did not person conclusive impervious of this. … [T]his vino property yet provides caller and wide grounds that aboriginal vino accumulation really took spot here."

ANCIENT ESTATE TIED TO GROUP IN THE BIBLE UNEARTHED WITH 'FASCINATING' TREASURES IN ISRAEL

Archaeologists besides recovered intriguing and afloat intact grounds of a Canaanite people cult dating backmost 3,300 years, including a ceramic exemplary of a shrine and animal-shaped ritual vessels.

The IAA said the vessels "were cautiously placed successful the crushed successful an orderly burial arsenic ritual offerings."

The Canaanite artifacts, including shrine models and animal-shaped vessels, day backmost astir 3,300 years, researchers said. (Katerina Katzan, Israel Antiquities Authority)

"These included a miniature ceramic exemplary of a shrine, retention jars, imported jugs and juglets from Cyprus, and a unsocial and awesome acceptable of vessels, which was astir apt utilized for libations, oregon the ceremonial pouring of liquids," the merchandise said.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Historians judge it was utilized to determination invaluable liquids — specified arsenic milk, lipid oregon vino — into a funnel during ceremonies.

The burial locations suggest a people cult operated extracurricular the city, perchance comprised of section farmers who couldn't participate the main temple. 

"[The finds] let america to go acquainted with the regular beingness and beliefs of the region's residents implicit the people of thousands of years."

This allowed them to "offer consecrations of liquids oregon invaluable cultivation produce," the merchandise said.

"Some of these offerings were discovered arsenic intact pottery vessels buried adjacent to a ample stone outcrop, which whitethorn person served arsenic an open-air altar extracurricular the Canaanite metropolis of Megiddo," researchers said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES

In a statement, officials said the caller excavation "revealed a caller portion of the matrix betwixt the known settlements successful the city."

They added, "The 5,000-year-old hewn vino property places the beginnings of the section vino manufacture successful a precise aboriginal urban-settlement context, portion the offerings from the play astir 3,300 years agone bespeak the continuity of ritual consecration and libations extracurricular the ineffable analyzable wrong the tell, perchance expressing aspects of the section Canaanite people cult."

The excavation offers caller penetration into the regular beingness and beliefs of past residents surviving adjacent the metropolis of Megiddo. (Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Eli Escusido, IAA director, said the finds are "revealing, furniture by layer, the wealthiness of past hidden and embedded successful the ungraded here."

He added, "The vulnerability of past wine-making facilities, and the grounds of people worship extracurricular of Megiddo, let america to go acquainted with the regular beingness and beliefs of the region's residents implicit the people of thousands of years."

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

This isn't the lone caller find made astatine the Tel Megiddo site.

Earlier this year, archaeologists announced they'd recovered grounds of a biblical conflict astatine the site.

The discoveries uncover "layer by layer" the long-hidden past beneath Israel's Jezreel Valley, said an expert.  (Barak Tzin, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Speaking to Fox News Digital, archaeologist Assaf Kleiman said pottery astatine the tract suggested the beingness of an Egyptian army, peculiarly the soldiers that defeated King Josiah.

"The vulnerability of truthful galore Egyptian vessels, including fragments of serving bowls, cooking pots and retention jars, is an exceptional phenomenon," said Kleiman.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We, therefore, recognize it arsenic representing Egyptians who settled astatine Megiddo successful the precocious 7th century, possibly arsenic portion of an service unit that arrived astatine the tract pursuing the illness of the Assyrian Empire."