Biblical Gilgal: A Common Place Name or a Cult Site near Jericho?

Abstract

An analysis of the biblical references mentioning the place name Gilgal indicates that they all denote a single site—namely, the cult site located east of Jericho. References to Gilgal that seemingly allude to other sites resulted either from scribal errors or from scholarly misinterpretation of the biblical text. Moreover, gilgal as a noun for a kind of settlement never appears in the Bible. Hence, the plural form gilgals sometimes used by archaeologists to designate elliptical or round sites enclosed by a massive or narrow stone wall are misleading and should best be abandoned. On the contrary, Gilgal was the exclusive name of a major Israelite cult centre located near the main road that passed from Jericho to Transjordan. The cult site operated in the pre-monarchical and monarchical periods, but ceased to function in the late monarchical period, possibly during the reign of King Josiah.