Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

62 BE"lWEENnox-rANDARTIFACT

recoveredinIsrael.^24 Severalcast-metalbullshavebeenrecovered,themost

notedofwhich,perhaps,arethosefoundatAshkelon25andintheSamarian

hillcQunrry.26MetalfiguresofBaal(withhandraisedintheactionofthrow-

inga spear),andE[(wearingacrownandsiuingona throne)havealso

beenrecovered.^27

CerAmic st,Huaryisalsoabundant. In additionto thepillarfigurines

notedabove,therearevarioustypesofplaques(representationsmoldedin

theroundononesideandflatonthebackside)thatdepictanunknown

goddess(possiblyAstarte).Theseplaquesshowa femalefigurethatisnaked

yetwhoalsohassomeiconographicemblems, suchas thechara.cteristic

"Hathor"hairstyleandlotusesorotheremblemsinherhancts.^28 Inaddition

tothesemorecommonIsraeliterypesofstatual)',thedesel1siteofQitrnit

uneal1hedstamal)'ofsucha mdicallydifferenttype thananyfoundbefore

thatithasbeentheorizedthatthiscullcenterwasEdomite,notIsmelite.^29

Shrines.Architectumlremainsareperhapsthemostdifficulttoidentify

correctly.If a buildingis empty,therecanbelittlehardevidencetoprove

whatitsoriginalfunctionwas, howevermonumentalthestructureitself

mayappear.Onlyif theremainsofhumanactivityarepresentcanonebe

moreorlessassuredofone'sidentificationofa building'soriginalpurpose.

However,thereareseveralmonumentalstructureswhosecontentleaves

littledoubtas{Q[heiruseasshrines.

Amongthesearcthepre-IsraelitcshrincinArcaHat Hazar,which

containedaltars, stelae, andother ritual equipment;30the pre-Israelite

FosseTempleat L'tchish;31theIsraeliteshrineatAmd,whichcontaineda

raisedplatformaswellastwostelaeandanaltar;32andthelargeashlar

buildingfromTelDan,thoughtbymanytobethestate-sponsoredshrine

ofthenorthernkingdom.^33 Anotherfamousinstallationistheroundstone

24 OmNegbi, CanaaniteGodsinMetal:AnArcbaeologicalStudyofAllci(mt~yro­
l'alesUlliallFigurines(TelAviv:TelAvivUniversityInstituteofArchaeology,1976).
25 LawrenceE. Stager,~WhenCanaanitesandPhilistinesRuledAshkelon"BAR7/2
(1990):24-31,35-37,4()....43.
26 AmihaiMazar,"BronzeBullFoundinIsmelile'HighPlace'fromtheTimeofthe
Judges:BAR9/5(1983):34-40.
27 Uehhnger,"AnthropomorphicCultStatual)',"103-4
2llMiriamTadmor,"FemaleCultFigurinesinLateCanaanandEarlyISr:ld:Archaeologic..l
EVidence,·illSludiesintbePen'adofDavidandSolomOIlalldOtberEssays(ed.T.Ishida;
WinonaLake,Illd.:Eisenbrauns,1982).139-73.
29 Itzlnqi3eit-AriehandPirhiya13t:<:k,EdomiteSbrine:DiscowriesfromQitmitintbe
Negev(lcnls;llclll:IsmelMuseum,t987).
j(JMazar,ArchaeologyoftbeIA/ldoftheBible,248-50.
31 Ibid,254-55.
32 Ibid,496--97.
33 Nakhai,"What'saSamah?"t8-19