Bronze Canaanite Figurines Unearthed in Israel

News April 9, 2020

(The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
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Israel Baal Figurine
(The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—According to a statement released by Macquarie University, a 3,300-year-old bronze figurine of the Canaanite god Baal, a bronze calf statue, two seals, and Canaanite and Philistine pottery have been unearthed by a team led by Gil Davis of Macquarie University and Yossi Garfinkel of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem at the site of Khirbet el-Rai, which is located in south-central Israel. The Baal figurine wears a tall hat. Its missing right arm would have been raised, and its left arm, possibly holding a weapon, would have been held out in front of the body. Burnt mud bricks, ash, burnt wood, and destroyed pottery indicate the city had burned in a fierce fire, the researchers explained. They suggest the site is the Philistine city of Ziklag, which was raided by the Amalekites, according to a biblical account. To read about one of the Philistines' largest cities, go to "The Gates of Gath."

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