Phoenician Iron Smithing and Cult at Persian-Period Tel Akko

Abstract

ABSTRACT Renewed excavations on Tel Akko have uncovered evidence of large-scale Phoenician industrial iron smithing during the Persian period (sixth–fourth centuries BCE). It is distinguished not only by the scale of production but also by the integration of ritual activities with iron smithing. This article presents evidence for an iron workers’ cult at Tel Akko—a largely unexplored aspect of Phoenician religion and cultic practices.