Tell er-Ras, Publication of Archaeological Materials and Data from Mt. Gerizim, West Bank

Tell er Ras is the name given to the peak which forms the northern extremity of Mount Gerizim. This portion of Mount Gerizim rises abruptly some 300m above the floor of the narrow pass between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. The area encompassed by this site measures ca. 120m by 80m. When the initial investigations at this site were undertaken political control of this area was exercised by the Hashimite Kingdom of Jordan. Effective political control of the area passed into the hands of the State of Israel in 1968. The vast preponderance of the archaeological record is associated with the construction and use of the Roman temple built during the reign of Hadrian. This structure (ca. 2 1 m by 14m) included a three-stepped stylobate, pronaos, naos, Aswan granit columns and Corinthian capitals. This tetrastyle, prostyle, pseudoperiptal temple was centered on a platform measuring ca. 65m by 44m. The platform, constructed of earth, rubble and cement, was encompassed by a rectangle of stone walls 9m high and 2m thick.