46 Bl:.lWEENTEXTANI)AHllFACfsuccessfulnUl1uranceseemsmorecompelJing.3^2 Theseobjectshavebeen
foundbythehundredsintenth-sixthcenturyB.C.E.SImlafromoverone
hundredsiteseastandwestoftheJordan.Whatis strikingisthattheyarc
vimlallyabsentfromcommunalculliecontexts;rather,theyappearprima-
rilyinthehousehold,33theprimarydomainofwomen.Infacl, itcanbe
calculatedthattherewereoneormorepillarfigurinesperhOtlsehold.34
Theymayormaynothavebeenconnectedtotheworshipofaparticular
deity,butalmostcertainlytheirfunction,becauseofwhattheydepict,was
tohelpwomenwiththeconcernsofreproduction.Asimilardistribwion
patternandfunctioncanbeassignedtoanotherkindofarchaeological
object,namely,Besimages,thoughtheyarefoundinmuchsmallerquan-
titiesthanthepillarfigurines.
BothpillarfigurinesandBesimagesaretypicallyfoundinwhatmay
betermed"culticassemblages,"thatis,groupsofobjectsthatapparently
playeda roleinhouseholdrituals.3SSuchobjectsincludelamps,beads,
amulets,raules,inscribedseals,vessels--especiallyminiatureones-for
food,pendants,andironblades.Inotherwords,objectsofeverydaysec-
ular use, when associated with pillar figurines or Bes images, are
arguably part ofa household religious culturesurrounding women's
reproductiveprocesses.Bothbiblicaltextsandethnographicdatasupport
sucha possibility.
Althoughnobiblicallextsdealdirectlyandspecificallywithwomen's
culticactivitiessurroundingreproduction,thereareallusionstoactsand
utterancesthatmayhavebeenpartofwomen'sreligiousculture.Indeed,
thefactthatwomenwerecalledupontoengageinpurificationritesafter
childbirth (Lev 12:1-8)36indicates that reproduction and ritual existed
togetherinancientIsraelitelifewithrespecttoextrahouseholdceremonies.
32 Meyers,Disco/JCringEve,162-63;KarelVandefToorn,FromHerCradle 10 HerGrave:
7beRoleojReUg/oll/nIheLifeoftheIsraeliteandtheBabyloniallWoman(trJns. S.J.
Denning-Bolle;13ibSem23;Sheffield:JSOTPress,1995),91.
33 RazKlelter,tbeJlldNlIIPlffar-Flglln"lfJSandIbeArchaeologyojAsherah(BARIS636;
Oxford:Archaeopress,19%),45-46,141,andappendices1-5.
34 JohnS.HolladayJr.,~ReligioninIsraelandJud1hundertheMonarchy,"inAllcie/11
IsraeliteReUgiorl:E.ssaysinHonorojFrankMooreCross,Jr.(cd.P.D.MillerJr.,P,D.Hanson,
andS.D.McBride;Philadelphia:Fortress,1987),276;l);lviau,Houses(wd7beirJoilrntsblTlgs,
202-3.
3SForanexampleofculticassemblagesindomesticcontexts,seeP.M.MicheleDaviau,
"FamilyReligion:EvidencefortheParaphernaliaoftheDomesticCult,"inTheWorldojtbe
Aramealls1/:StudiesinHistoryandArcbaeologyinHOllOllrofP(III/-EII~",eDion(ed.P.M. M.
Daviau,J.M.Wevers,andM.Weigl;JSOTSup325;Sheffield:SheffieldAcademicPress,2(01),
19<)---229.
36 SeeRhondaBumeue-l3letseh,·Womenafter Childbirth(Lev12:1-8),"inMeyers,
Cr.:lven,andKraemer,1170"'11'11InScripture,17}-74.