50 Years Flashback: 1979: Ze’ev Meshel Covers Kuntillet ‘Ajrud

BAR March/April 1979

BAR’s March/April 1979 cover story, “Did Yahweh Have a Consort?” by Ze’ev Meshel, was the first-ever detailed, color-illustrated article about the remarkable finds from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud. This remote desert outpost from the eighth century BCE produced a treasure trove of inscriptions and drawings—including the fascinating lyre player gracing the issue’s cover—that provided tantalizing clues about the realities of Israelite religion. Over the next five decades, Kuntillet ‘Ajrud came to be one of the most frequently discussed sites in BAR.