Judaic pillar figurines are a cultural find unique to the Kingdom of Judah, which began to appear in the area of the Kingdom of Judah in general, and Jerusalem in particular, at the end of the 8th century BC, and during the 7th century BC. During this period Judah was under the hegemony of the Assyrian Empire, followed by the Babylonian Empire. They disappeared with the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians at the beginning of the 6th century BC. Over a thousand figurines of this type, or their fragments, were discovered within the territory of the Kingdom of Judah. About 50% of the figurines were found in Jerusalem. Parallel to these figurines, figurines in the form of animals and riders were also common. horses
The figurines were usually made by hand from clay and shaped like a female body. They are about 15 cm tall and the upper part was designed in the image of a female body (naked or not – a matter of dispute), with the figure’s hands usually placed under the chest). The chest area was sometimes emphasized. On the other hand, reproductive areas were not shown in the female figurine. The lower part of The figurine was often tube-like and without legs, with a sunken base, sometimes hollow, for the purpose of standing.
The figurines are divided into two types according to the shape of the head. One, usually designed in a pattern that created facial features and even hair. The hair design was similar in outline to the Egyptian wig, which probably indicates a cultural influence. This part is connected to the rest of the piece with a lug/peg that is connected to the socket in the shoulder area of the figurine. The neck area was designed in an “unnatural” way, rough, accentuated or too long to cover the lug used to fix the head to the rest of the figurine. In the other type, as a “less complex” style, the head of the figurine was prepared manually by pinching and a simpler design. The pillar figurines were usually plastered with white, which was painted after conversion. Remains of black, yellow and red remained on the discovered items, in an attempt to emphasize the characteristics of the eyes, hair and jewelry.
Regarding the ritual interpretation of the figurines, different schools of thought hold that the figurines are a representation of various female deities (Ashrah, Ashtoreth or Anat). Other schools of thought believe that the figurines are a counter-reaction to the influence of the empires as an attempt to create a unique identity for the Jewish area.
