Holyland Iron Age Nude Female Idol Goddess Asherah

Ancient Near East, Holyland, Levant, Judea, Jerusalem, Iron Age II, ca. 8th to 7th century BCE. A remarkable pottery figure of the great goddess Asherah shown nude with a buxom body, a mold-made head with tightly coiled hair, and a pillar base as her hands support her breasts. Figures like this are found in domestic contexts and point to popular cults that coexisted with monotheistic Judaism. Asherah was the wife of El, head of the Canaanite pantheon, and probably the mother of the gods in Canaanite, and she also appears in Jewish tradition. Some literary evidence in ancient Israel even speaks of Asherah as the consort of Yahweh himself. Size: 2" L x 3.2" W x 7" H (5.1 cm x 8.1 cm x 17.8 cm)

Provenance: private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection, purchased from Antiquarium, Nurit & Denny Pinkus Ltd, Old Jaffa, Israel, May 1990

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#185553
Condition Report: Chipping to right breast and expected weathering to surface with nicks and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact with good remaining detail and rich earthen deposits. Old collection number inscribed on underside of base.