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PHOTOGRAPH BY T. ROGOVSKI

FOUNDATION DEPOSITS discovered at the Northeast Temple included a bronze axe head. Deposited together with other weapons and jewelry under a wall of the holy of holies, the axe head is engraved with a picture of a bird—probably a symbol of the goddess worshiped in the temple. Such votive offerings were typically buried during foundation rituals to guarantee the successful completion of the building and to secure divine blessings for the temple’s rituals and activities.