Storerooms

Photo Comments

View looking east at one of the three store rooms that Aharoni excavated at Beersheba. Each building consisted of three long "halls." In the center of the image is the central, dirt paved, hall of one of these buildings. To the right (south) and left (north) of it are the two long storage rooms in which goods were stored.

The gate area of the administrative center of Beersheba is just off the right (south) side of the image. Evidently, pack animals (donkeys) would enter the central hall (dirt paved) and be tethered to one of the columns (which supported the roof of the building) while its cargo was unloaded. The side rooms of these storehouses were filled with hundreds of pottery vessels including storage jars (for grain) as well as household vessels such as cooking pots, bowls, kraters, lamps, and grinding stones.

Somewhat similar structures have been found in other places, such as Megiddo and Hazor, and their function is hotly disputed among scholars (storerooms, stables, shopping malls, etc.?).

Just lower left of the center of the image (immediately to the left of the entrance) is a horizontal (reconstructed) stone wall. Aharoni found that many Altar stones had been reused to build this wall.

For a more detailed image of this storeroom Click Here.

For a map and brief introductory comments about Beersheba Click Here.