A sacred stone or meteorite worshipped in ancient religions, particularly in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions; a stone object of religious significance.
From Semitic languages, possibly Hebrew 'beth' (house) or related to 'baetyl.' The term was used in ancient Greek and Latin to describe sacred stones believed to have divine properties.
Ancient people saw meteorites falling from the sky and thought they were messages from gods—'baityloi' (plural) became sacred objects people would travel miles to touch, and some archaeologists think this is why so many religious sites are built around specific rock formations.
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