The book examines biblical narratives describing the origins of holy places other than Jerusalem. The accounts are examined with three main questions in mind: Are there any common features in biblical accounts about the foundations of places of worship; Are there any particular elements in the aetiological stories that can show anything about the 'real' mythology and/or rituals of the sanctuary; and What were the circumstances of the creation of such narratives? The answer for the first question is positive, ie, the stories of the origins of holy places contain the elements relevant to local...