Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Pedestal for the figure of a deity
Iron Age I, 10th century BCE
H: 53.7; W: 22; L: 24.5 cm
Staff Archaeological Officer in the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria
Accession number: K4197
This pedestal is decorated with a rich array of sacred motifs: below, a naked goddess flanked by lions; above, a calf symbolizing a god flanked by two pillars, alluding to a temple, and surmounted by a winged sun disk. The combination of these symbols led to the conclusion that is was a pedestal for a figure of the storm god.
