Image Details

Ardon Bar Hama

IDOL OR VOTIVE? Whether this terra-cotta figurine represents the goddess or is a votive offering from one of her worshipers, it and the thousands of others like it from Israel and Judah are undeniably linked to the cult. No similar figurines of males have been found, however. This indicates that, while representations of the goddess were common in ancient Israelite religion, people may have been reluctant to create images of the male deity, Yahweh.