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COURTESY OF THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

DIVINE REGALIA. A cultic scepter head was discovered near the two god figurines, in front of the holy of holies. It consists of a rectangular plaque and a broken-off stem and is made of bronze, originally coated with silver. The scepter’s style and dimensions indicate that it likely once fit into the hand of a life-sized statue of a god, much like the miniature scepter held in the hand of a smaller, gold-covered statuette of the Canaanite god El (shown here) that was excavated at Megiddo.