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Symbol of cult and prestige. The head of a copper scepter, similar to those from the Cave of the Treasure but discovered in a foundation deposit secreted inside the wall of a large building at Shiqmim, may provide a clue as to where these cult/prestige objects were crafted: The scepter head was originally attached to a wooden rod that ran up the shaft in the center of the scepter head. Some of the bitumen filler used to bind the rod to the scepter head has survived, and analysis of it identifies it as having come from the Dead Sea region.