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Photo courtesy of Sharon Zuckerman

Earrings were discovered in the Royal Sanctuary in Area A, another structure initially thought to be a palace. Located south of the Southern Temple, the Royal Sanctuary dates to the Late Bronze Age and was built with thick mudbrick walls, wooden floors, an ornate pillared entryway and basalt orthostats. Its simple, symmetrical plan closely follows patterns found in Canaanite temples, leading archaeologists to surmise that the building was cultic and ceremonial rather than palatial.

Eight cuneiform tablets were also found inside the Royal Sanctuary, bolstering the belief that a cuneiform archive remains to be discovered at the site.