54 BI::'TWEENTEXTANDARTIFACT
wimdescriptionsofcullieobjectsdescribedinthebiblicaltexl.Unfonu-
nately,withthepossibleexceptionofaltarswhoseuseisfairlyobvious,this
isusuallya difficultifnotimpossibletask.ArchaeologislSoftenclaim(0
havefoundexamplesofpanicularcullieobjectssuchasstandingstones,
highplaces,orimagesofspecificdeities. However,whentheirmethod-
ologicalassumptionsareexplored,oneoftenfinds nawsthatmakethe
identificationoftheseobjectssuspect.
In!.hemain,archaeologicalfinds comeOUIofthegroundwithno
explanatorymaterialtoaccompanythem.Toquotemyfirstarchaeological
fieldsupervisor,LeslieJ.Hoppe,"Youdon',gelwhatyouwant.Youget
whatyouget."Inotherwords,youdigandyouuncoveranifacLSthatare
piecesofa largerpuzzle,someofthepiecesofwhichmaybemissing.Itis
a rarethingtouncoveranancientartifact,particularlya religiousone,and
knowimmediatelywhatilisandwhatitmeanltoIhosewhooncepos-
sessedieHowever,ifoneleachestheHebrewBibleusingonlythetext,
thereissomevitalinformationmissingfromthepuzzlethatarchaeology
mayprovide.Belowarejusta fewexamples.
A clearerunder.Utwdingojthedoctrineojaniconism.Ifonethinks
thatancientIsraeliteshadnorepresentationalart,boththetext(lKgs6)
andthe archaeologicalrecorddemonstrate otherwise.Smallmetaland
ceramicfigUrines, paintingsonpots,ivorycarvings,slonecarvings,and
illustraledinscriptionsarealltobefoundintherepertoire(seediscussion
ofspecificitemsbelow).However,onethingthathasnotbeenfound 10
daleinIsraelisanyattempttorepresentthepersonofIsrael'sGodinart.
Art is tobefoundeverywhere,yet inkeeping withlextualcommands
regardinganiconism(Deut4:I5-20),religiousartandanifaasdoappearto
avoidmakingpiauresoftheprimarydeityofIsrael.Otherdeitiesandtheir
companionanimalsappearinartisticrepresentations.Israel'sGoo,sofar,
doesnoe
Challengestothebiblicalclaimojmonolatry.Asnotedabove,many
smalldepictionsofgodsandgoddessesarepresentinthearchaeological
recordofancientIsrael. Ifoneexcludesimagesofgodsfoundinslrata
IhaldatepriortoanyproposedpresenceofIsraelitesintheland,oneis
stillconfrontedwithahugenumberofmeL'lllicandceramicrepresenta-
tionsofdeitiesbothmaleandfemale.Virtuallyeveryexcavationofa site
thathasoccupationduringtheperiodsrelatedtoIsrael'smonarchypro-
ducessuchobjects.
Onewayofseeingthisisthatitsupportsthebiblicalcontentionthat
Israeliteswereregularlyworshiping,oratleastrevering,godsotherthan
Israel'sGoo(2Kgs17).AnotherwayofseeingthiSisthatitmakesfalsethe
biblicaldescriptionofIsraelitereligionasonethatworshipeda singleGod
andnoother.AnotherwayofinterpretingthismaterialistoJX>Sita division
betweena "state-level"or~official"religionandthe~personal"or"popular"