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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Vestnik drevnei istorii</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Vestnik drevnei istorii</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Вестник древней истории</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="print">0321-0391</issn><issn publication-format="electronic">3034-5251</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">The Russian Academy of Sciences</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">689264</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.31857/S0321039125010025</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Статьи</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">‘Cultic reforms’ of the Kings of Judah in the light of archaeological data</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>«Культовые реформы» царей Иудеи в свете археологических данных</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7976-4518</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Luppova</surname><given-names>Anna A.</given-names></name><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Луппова</surname><given-names>Анна Анатольевна</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>научный сотрудник кафедры иудаики Института стран Азии и Африки</p></bio><email>anyaluppova@mail.ru</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Lomonosov Moscow State University</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Московский государственный университет имени М.В. Ломоносова</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2025-01-15" publication-format="electronic"><day>15</day><month>01</month><year>2025</year></pub-date><volume>85</volume><issue>1</issue><issue-title xml:lang="en"/><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>18</fpage><lpage>44</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2025-08-14"><day>14</day><month>08</month><year>2025</year></date><date date-type="accepted" iso-8601-date="2025-08-14"><day>14</day><month>08</month><year>2025</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2025, Russian Academy of Sciences</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2025, Российская академия наук</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2025</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">Russian Academy of Sciences</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Российская академия наук</copyright-holder></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://transsyst.ru/0321-0391/article/view/689264">https://transsyst.ru/0321-0391/article/view/689264</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>This article provides an overview of the archaeological aspect of the debate on the historicity of cultic reforms described in 2 Kings, initiated by the Judean kings Josiah (late seventh century BC) and Hezekiah (late eighth – early seventh century BC), aimed at the abolition of sanctuaries outside Jerusalem. The discussion focuses on the potential archaeological evidence of these reforms: the dismantled temple at Tel Arad, the possibly desecrated ‘gate shrine’ at Lachish, and the eliminated altar at Beersheba. The examined data does not provide definitive confirmation of the historicity of these reforms.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>В статье дается обзор археологической составляющей дискуссии об историчности описанных в 4 книге Царств культовых реформ иудейских царей Иосии (конец VII в. до н.э.) и Езекии (конец VIII – начало VII в. до н.э.), направленных на упразднение святилищ вне Иерусалима. Рассматриваются дискуссии вокруг возможных свидетельств реформ: упраздненного храма в Тель-Араде, оскверненного (?) «святилища в воротах» в Лахише и разобранного алтаря в Беэр-Шеве. Рассмотренные данные позволяют сделать вывод, что однозначных археологических свидетельств в пользу историчности реформ до сих пор обнаружено не было.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>biblical archaeology</kwd><kwd>Israel</kwd><kwd>cultic reforms</kwd><kwd>Josiah</kwd><kwd>Hezekiah</kwd><kwd>Tel Arad</kwd><kwd>Beersheba</kwd><kwd>Lachish</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>библейская археология</kwd><kwd>Израиль</kwd><kwd>культовые реформы</kwd><kwd>Иосия</kwd><kwd>Езекия</kwd><kwd>Тель-Арад</kwd><kwd>Беэр-Шева</kwd><kwd>Лахиш</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><mixed-citation>Aharoni, Y. 1967: Excavations at Tel Arad: Preliminary Report on the Second Season, 1963. Israel Exploration Journal 17, 233–249.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="B2"><label>2.</label><mixed-citation>Aharoni, Y. 1968: Arad: Its Inscriptions and Temple. 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