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Judahite Pillar Figurine with Mold-made HeadIron Age IIB–IIC, eighth–seventh century BCE Terra-cotta pillar figurines are found throughout the biblical territory of Judah and date to the eighth to seventh centuries BCE. Most were decorated with a white background layer and one or more colors (red, yellow, black) for stripes, jewelry, eyes, and hair. They usually have almond-shaped eyes and a hairstyle with tightly twisted curls, similar to representations of Egyptian wigs. This example, from Lachish, 7 inches (18 cm) high, has a stylized curly hairdo. The face seems to present a quirky smile, a long thin nose, and eyes and brow ridges marked by raised lines. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Gift of Harris D. and H. Dunscombe Colt, 1934. www.metmuseum.org. CC0 1.0 Universal, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
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Judahite Pillar Figurine with Hand-made HeadIron Age II, late eighth century BCE In this terra-cotta figurine from Beersheba, 5.5 inches (14 cm) high, the face is made by pinching the clay to draw out the nose, thereby forming the eye sockets. The nose has a beak-like appearance. The eyes, and especially the pupils, were indicated by paint. This example has remnants of painted bands on the neck, one each in white, red, and blue. We do not know the significance of figurines with hand-made heads as opposed to those with mold-made heads. Photo by Clara Amit. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. |
Both images from The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 1, Ancient Israel, from Its Beginnings through 332 BCE
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