!["The dedicatory inscription on the Lachish ewer [shows] the word Elat positioned immediately over the tree, indicating the... tree as a representation of the goddess Elat." hkd mlkySH - TSyvr hhqdSHh lAlt.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%93_%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A9_-_%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%AA.jpg/220px-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%93_%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A9_-_%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A8_%D7%94%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%AA.jpg)
The Lachish ewer is an ancient jug discovered at Tell el-Duweir dating from the late 13th century BC, [2] identified as the site of the ancient city of Lachish, one of the most important cities in the Kingdom of Judah.[ clarification needed ]
The Lachish ewer is an ancient jug discovered at Tell el-Duweir dating from the late 13th century BC, [2] identified as the site of the ancient city of Lachish, one of the most important cities in the Kingdom of Judah.[ clarification needed ]
The Lachish ewer shows iconicity[ clarification needed ] in its simple and graphic design, characterized by the effervescent[ clarification needed ] depiction of gazelles mid-leap.[ according to whom? ] The common goats flanking a tree motif is known from very early examples, such as Babylonian Akkadian.[ according to whom? ][ clarification needed ] During this era[ which? ] they symbolize the goddess Asherah. [3] [ clarification needed ]
The jug is considered as important as pithos A from Kuntillet Ajrud and the Ta'anakh cult stand. [4] It is one of the most common points of reference to demonstrate the typical characteristics of art of its type and era,[ clarification needed ] its attention-grabbing aspect being an unmistakably menorah-like tree as the object of focus and a manifestation of the goddess. [5] The ewer and its cousin, a goblet from the same city, show how the tree and pubic triangle can be synonymous or interchangeable. [6] [7]
An excellent parallel[ according to whom? ] called the Burna krater was publicized in 2022. [8]
The Kingdom of Judah was an Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. Centered in the highlands of Judea, the landlocked kingdom's capital was Jerusalem. Jews are named after Judah, and primarily descend from people who lived in the region.
Asherah is the great goddess in ancient Semitic religion. She also appears in Hittite writings as Ašerdu(s) or Ašertu(s). Her name was Aṯeratum to the Amorites, and Athiratu in Ugarit. Some scholars hold that Yahweh and Asherah were a consort pair in ancient Israel and Judah, although others disagree.
Elath, or Eloth, was an ancient city mentioned in several places in the Hebrew Bible on the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. It was in the same vicinity as Ezion-Geber.
Gezer, or Tel Gezer, in Arabic: تل الجزر – Tell Jezar or Tell el-Jezari is an archaeological site in the foothills of the Judaean Mountains at the border of the Shfela region roughly midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It is now an Israeli national park. In the Hebrew Bible, Gezer is associated with Joshua and Solomon.
High places or high places are simple hilltop installations with instruments of religion: platforms, altars, standing stones, and cairns are common. Along with open courtyard shrines and sacred trees or groves, they were some of the most often-seen public places of piety in the ancient Near East. They appear in the early Bronze Age at the latest.
An Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the goddess Asherah. The relation of the literary references to an asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate.
Libnah or Lobana was an independent city, probably near the western seaboard of Israel, with its own king at the time of the Israelite conquest of Canaan. It is thought to have been an important producer of revenue, and one that rebelled against the Judahite crown.
Gath or Gat was one of the five cities of the Philistine pentapolis during the Iron Age. It was located in northeastern Philistia, close to the border with Judah. Gath is often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and its existence is confirmed by Egyptian inscriptions. Already of significance during the Bronze Age, the city is believed to be mentioned in the El-Amarna letters as Gimti/Gintu, ruled by the two Shuwardata and 'Abdi-Ashtarti. Another Gath, known as Ginti-kirmil also appears in the Amarna letters.
William Gwinn Dever is an American archaeologist, scholar, historian, semiticist, and theologian. He is an active scholar of the Old Testament, and historian, specialized in the history of the Ancient Near East and the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah in biblical times. He was Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Arizona in Tucson from 1975 to 2002. He is a Distinguished Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania.
The Deir 'Alla Plaster Inscription, known as KAI 312, is a famous inscription discovered during a 1967 excavation in Deir 'Alla, Jordan. It is currently at the Jordan Archaeological Museum. It is written in a peculiar Northwest Semitic dialect, and has provoked much debate among scholars and had a strong impact on the study of Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions.
Tel Burna is an archaeological site located in the Shephelah, along the banks of Nahal Guvrin, not far from modern-day Qiryat Gat. Tel Burna is located near Beit Guvrin/Maresha, Tel Goded, Lachish, Tell es-Safi/Gath and Tel Zayit. The site is thought to have been one of a series of sites along the border between Judah and Philistia.
Kuntillet Ajrud or Horvat Teman is a late 9th/early 8th centuries BCE site in the northeast part of the Sinai Peninsula. It is frequently described as a shrine, though this is not certain. The Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions discovered in the excavations are significant in biblical archaeology.
Khirbet el-Qom is an archaeological site in the village of al-Kum, West Bank, in the territory of the biblical Kingdom of Judah, between Lachish and Hebron, 14 km (8.7 mi) to the west of the latter.
A ceremonial pole is a stake or post utilised or venerated as part of a ceremony or religious ritual. Ceremonial poles may symbolize a variety of concepts in different ceremonies and rituals practiced by a variety of cultures around the world.
The Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions refers to a set of jar and plaster inscriptions, stone incisions, and art discovered at the site of Kuntillet Ajrud. They were found at a unique Judean crossroads location that was among an unusual number and variety of vessels and other inscriptions. They date to the late 9th century BC in the Sinai Peninsula.
Christine E. Morris is an Irish classical scholar, who is the Andrew A. David Professor in Greek Archaeology and History at Trinity College Dublin. An expert on religion in the Aegean Bronze Age, her work uses archaeological evidence to examine the practice and experience of belief. She is a member of the Standing Committee for Archaeology for the Royal Irish Academy.
The Revadim Asherah is a significant artifact representing a third genre of Asherah figurines. Like the inscriptions found at Khirbet el-Qom and Kuntillet Ajrud, it's one of the most pivotal discoveries in the field from the latter half of the 20th century. These findings reoriented scholarship to the fact of Asherah's prominence in Canaanite and Hebrew religion.
The Ta'anakh cult stand was found in the ancient city of Ta'anakh, near Megiddo, in Israel. It dates back to the 10th century BCE and has various images that are related to the religious practices of the Israelites. Some think that the "elaborate" 53cm stand was used for offering incense to the gods, while others suggest that it was a miniature representation of a temple or a shrine. The stand has four tiers.
Judean pillar figures or figurines were ubiquitous household items in the Iron Age representing the Canaanite great goddess Asherah.
Media related to Elat jug of Lachish at Wikimedia Commons