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with vegetation were inscribed onto scarabs (Figure 5.17A), and Egyptian- inspired god-
desses associated with the lotus, mandrake, and other sacred plants were also represented
(Figure 5.17B).
The worship of female deities, especially among women, persisted in the Levant well
into the Iron Age. Hundreds of nude female figurines have been found dating to the Late
Monarchic period in Judah (seventh century bce). The Hebrew Bible mentions the goddess
“Asherah” forty times. In 1 Kings 15:13, King Asa removed the title of “Queen Mother” from(a)(b)Figure 5.17 Canaanite vegetation goddess from the Middle and Late Bronze Age. A. Scarabs.
B. Egyptian- inspired images of vegetation goddesses.
From Winter, U. (1983), Frau und Göttin: exegetische und ikonographische Studien zum weiblichen Gottesbild
im Alten Israel und in dessen Umwelt, SLM Press, Jerusalem.