Image Details

Photo courtesy of Aren Maeir, The Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project

CULT OF THE PHALLUS? Amid the remains of what appears to be a small Philistine cultic area, archaeologist Aren Maeir discovered seven additional phallic-shaped ceramic situlae during the 2007 excavation season at Tell es-Safi, one of which is shown . A number of the new situlae have small holes punched through their tops, suggesting they may have originally been strung together and hung to create an ancient cultic mobile. Clustered around the phalluses was an array of Iron Age cultic wares, including offering plates, zoomorphic and pomegranate-shaped juglets, and fragments of circular ritual libation vessels known as kernoi. These two pictures of very recent finds are receiving their first publication here. BAR is grateful to Professor Maeir for making them available to our readers.