Dead Religions & Their Gods

The Bible names dozens of deities the Israelites were commanded not to worship — and frequently did anyway. Understanding who these gods were, what their worship actually involved, and what archaeology has found makes the prophets' fury comprehensible and the people's choices less baffling. These were not abstract idols. They were real religious systems with real temples, real priests, and real theological claims.

Tier labels indicate quality of archaeological evidence, same as elsewhere on TELL.