Before the Israelites arrived, it was common for every ancient town in Canaan to feature its own temple for cultic practice. However, for Israel, “temple” worship was reserved for one sanctified location: At first, wherever the tabernacle was, then later at the temple in Jerusalem.
For archaeologists and historians studying settlements in Canaan, the lack of a functioning temple can be used as a cultural marker to show Israelite control. This phenomenon is evident in the highland settlements of the Iron i period, where Israel retained control. But during the Iron iia period something interesting happened: Towns further from the central highlands lacked temples.
Prof. Avraham Faust from Ben Gurion University drew attention to this change in his 2021 Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology article, explaining that during Iron iia, temples at major northern cities— such as Megiddo, Hazor, Beth-Shean, as well as Tel Qasile close to the Mediterranean coast—ceased to function (“The ‘United Monarchy’ on the Ground”). In Megiddo, a millenniums-old tradition of temple worship abruptly ceased during this Davidic period.
What happened at these cultic sites during Iron iia? According to Professor Faust, it’s clear that the Israelites had taken over: “This was a major transformation, and it is important to stress that not only did it take place at the same time as so many other changes, but it also directs us toward the only society we know of that did not have temples in every settlement—the Israelite society.”
These templeless cities provide additional proof of the extent of the united monarchy during the 10th century b.c.e. They show that David’s territorial hold extended far beyond Jerusalem. He didn’t just rule over the southern highlands as a petty tribal chieftain; instead, his kingdom grew in size to engulf the Plain of Sharon and into the northern valleys, destroying foreign temples as he went. A generation later, the Bible relates that Solomon consolidated his rule in these cities through his intense building program (1 Kings 9:15).
