Ancient cultures had ways to remember important events; in Canaan/Israel they did this with standing stones. If one of their “gods” caused an important event or provided a significant benefit, a stone was erected as a testimony to the action of the “god.” Travelers who saw the stones would ask, “what happened here?” and the people who knew the story would give testimony to their “gods.” As Israel entered the land of Canaan and conquered it, God called them to commemorate certain of His actions in a way the culture understood: standing stones.

Scripture: excerpts from Joshua