Sanctuary of Coire
Coire
Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE)·Middle Bronze Age·🇮🇱 Negev, Israel
About
About Sanctuary of Coire
Sanctuary of Coire in Negev, Israel is a Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE) temple complex attributed to Middle Bronze Age culture. Systematically investigated through photogrammetry and test trenching, it presents a monumental core with ancillary settlement. Construction employs dry-stone masonry and demonstrates distinct phasing. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Middle Bronze Age temple-complex with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Population scale vs catchment
- 02Social hierarchy and elite control
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape and ancestral veneration
- 02Defensive refuge and tribal capital
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1919 BCE
- Period
- Middle Bronze Age (2100–1550 BCE)
- Culture
- Middle Bronze Age
- Purpose
- Residential and craft production
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 1919 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 1643 BCE
Architectural refurbishment
c. 131 CE
Reoccupation and adaptation
1884
Rediscovery and systematic excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
32.5685° N · 35.1664° E · 1962 m · 3 mapped features
Ancillary Complex
shrinePrimary temple complex at Sanctuary of Coire — ceremonial avenue
32.5701° N · 35.1660° EEnclosure Wall
tombBurial zone — shaft tombs
32.5709° N · 35.1672° EEnclosure Wall 3
reservoirOutlier feature with cup marks
32.5672° N · 35.1669° E