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Glite Dictionary
Tophet

Tophet

1 9.9
An ancient place near Jerusalem that the Bible calls a site of sacrifices and links to hell
  • proper noun
  • Literature
: Tophet
  • "You ate the cake, now answer the question." "Little Miss Moffette sat on her Tophet," she chanted, like a small child.

Examples

  • Schwartz also has another type of evidence to support his claim that the Tophet children died of natural causes.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Abbadon, Tophet, Gehenna, Naraka, the pit!

    The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

  • The researchers announced their results this year after spending decades examining the cremated remains of 540 children from 348 burial urns excavated in the Tophet, a cemetery outside Carthage's main burial ground.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The ancient site of Tophet, near Jerusalem, was infamous for the sacrifices made there.

  • Many records indicate that Tophet was a location associated with child sacrifices in ancient times.

  • Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts in Tophet that provide insight into its historical significance.

Surface Forms

Tophet main

Etymology

Tophet is a biblical Hebrew place name for a site near Jerusalem where people made sacrifices and where fires burned; because of this it became linked with burning and punishment, like the word 'Gehenna' or the idea of 'hell'.