Archaeologists working in central Israel have just made a very exciting find; a giant complex that dates back three thousand and three hundred years. Haaretz.com reports that the find was located at the Tel Burna excavation site (which sits a little ways east of Kiryat Gat) and is believed to have served as a place of worship for an ancient cult.

The reason behind this belief is due to a number of different artifacts that were discovered within the space. These items included three connected cups, huge jar like vessels, burnt animal bones and fragments of facemasks. The site itself has not been fully uncovered, but from what archaeologists have found it appears to be quite large. This is represented by the courtyard, which measures fifty two square meters. The size of the structure, combined with the different artifacts help support the theory that the complex was once served as a gathering place for a cult.

Each item found reveals a different clue as to the use of the complex. The burnt animal bones suggest the space was used for animal sacrifice, and the mask fragments support worship. The use for the cups are not known, but experts believe they were imported from Cyprus due to their design. While there were many deities, researches believe this particular site was used for the worship of Baal, the Caanite Storm God or the ancient war goddess Anat.

In addition to the above artifacts, large “pithoi” vessels were also found at the complex. These vessels are almost the size of a human being, and could have also been imported from Cyprus. Vessels were commonly used to transport tithes paid to the cult, and the pithoi found at the complex are being analyzed to determine what they had stored. The site is a great find, and many other artifacts were also uncovered in the find, including goblets, a cylinder shaped seal, broken figurines and an ancient Egyptian artifact inscribed with hieroglyphs.