Remains of a libation tray (below) discovered during the reconstruction of The Church of St. Etiénne in the nineteenth century. A small Egyptian temple had existed on this site, from which this libation tray has remained. It has grooves along which fluids flowed into a stone-carved basin. The identification of this site as a temple is based on the discovery there of a stele (above) engraved with hieroglyphics. It appears that this was a small temple serving the soldiers of the Egyptian garrison which existed in Jerusalem at the time of one of the pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Although the existence of a temple here seems almost certain, some scholars suggest that, because of the lack of contemporary building remains, the Egyptian finds at the site may be a result of the antiquities collected by monks living in the local monastery.

By: Carta Jerusalem Language: English Print size: 12.18 x 13.00 cm, 4.79 x 5.12 inches 150 dpi - 234 kb