Here is an interesting recent archaeological find in Israel!
Researchers from the University of Haifa today revealed an exceptional archaeological discovery of "foot-shaped" enclosures for assemblies and rituals in the Jordan Valley, dating back to the time when the Jews first settled Israel.
The enclosures are significant because this is the first time that enclosed sites identified with the biblical sites termed in Hebrew "gilgal" - closed spaces used to assemble people perhaps for battle or worship - have been revealed in the Jordan Valley. To this day, no archaeological site has been proposed to be identified with the gilgal.
Gilgal is mentioned 39 times in the Bible, most notably in the Book of Joshua as the site where the Israelites first encamped after crossing the Jordan River. Joshua ordered the Children of Israel to take 12 stones, symbolizing the 12 tribes, and place them in formation.
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And there may be even deeper meanings, Zertal said at a press conference yesterday, emphasizing that in the ancient world, "foot" also held significance as a symbol of ownership of territory, control over an enemy, connection between people and land, and presence of the Deity.
"The 'foot' structures that we found in the Jordan valley are the first sites that the People of Israel built upon entering Canaan and they testify to the biblical concept of ownership of the land with the foot," said Zertal.
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