Biblical ‘fertility amulet’ found by 11-year-old Negev

Biblical ‘fertility amulet’ found by 11-year-old Negev

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A child who was on a family walk in the Negev found a statue dating from the biblical period, the Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday.

The artifact depicts a stylized bald woman wearing a scarf with her hands folded under her chest. The IAA said in a press release. It is about 2,500 years old and dates from the late First Temple period or the beginning of the Persian period, also known as the “Return to Zion”. It probably served as an amulet for fertility and protection for babies.

2 500 year old pottery figurine found in the north of the Negev (Yevgeny Ostrovsky / Israel Antiquities Authority)2 500 year old pottery figurine found in the north of the Negev (Yevgeny Ostrovsky / Israel Antiquities Authority)

“Pottery statues of bare-chested women are known from various periods in Israel, including the First Temple era,” according to Oren Shmueli and Debbie Ben Ami, curators of the IAA and the Iron Age. ‘They were common in the home and in everyday life, like the hamsa [hand design] today, and apparently served as amulets to ensure protection, strength, and prosperity.

“We have to keep in mind that medical understanding in antiquity was rudimentary. Child mortality was very high, and about a third of those born did not survive. There was little understanding of hygiene, and fertility treatment was by nature not available. If there is no advanced medicine, amulets have given hope and an important way to seek help. ‘

Fertility gods were very common in ancient cultures. The Bible gives many testimonies of the influence that the neighboring population had on the Israelites.

The earthenware statue, about seven centimeters high and six cm. wide, was noticed by 11-year-old Zvi Ben-David from Beersheba while on a family trip to Nahal Habesor, a route in the South that follows the Besor Riverbed.

The boy’s mother, a professional tour guide, understood the importance of the find and alerted the IAA.

Only one other similar statue, which is also found in the Northern Negev, is preserved in the National Treasures collection.

“The exemplary citizenship of the young Zvi Ben-David will enable us to improve our understanding of cultic practices in biblical times and man’s inherent need for material human personifications,” Shmueli and Ben-Ami said.

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