Israel’s daily paper Haaretz recently published an article regarding a particular class of archaeological artifacts found in the region – small figurines of naked women holding their breasts. The headsline reads:
“An Archaeological Mystery: Why Ancient Hebrews Made Figurines of Naked Women In First Temple-period Judah, statuettes of women holding up their breasts were apparently a must-have item, but were they images of Yahweh’s wife, fertility figurines, or something else?”
The article begins:
“Their name couldn’t possibly sound less exciting: Judean Pillar Figurines. But behind this dry technical nomenclature lies a headscratcher that has stumped experts for more than a century. Ever since archaeologists began digging up the remains of Jerusalem and the surrounding Kingdom of Judah from the First Temple period, one find has consistently cropped up: thousands of clay statuettes of an apparently naked woman using her hands to hold up her breasts.”
