Head of a Goddess

The horned headdress, which is the divine crown par excellence in the ancient Near East, identifies the figure as a deity. A comparison with the various statuettes found at Qirmit makes it possible to identify this particular head as the head of a goddess rather than of a god.

The head, including the prominent knob on top and the neck, is wheel-made. It is fashioned in the shape of the well-known rattle found at many Iron Age sites.

Pieces modeled by hand were then applied to mark the facial features, hairdress and horns. Traces of their untidy application are visible on the back of the head, the chin and the neck. The face is painted red, and the hair is black.

The asymmetry of the face is particularly noticeable in the unequal eyes; they were incised on bits of clay that were then applied to the face. Again, there is no symmetry in the eyebrows and locks of hair. This lack of symmetry is also evident in the modeling of the mouth, which gives the face a lively expression enhanced by a captivating smile.

A divine mitre with three horns is quite rare and is known only on metal statuettes representing armed goddesses said to have come from Syria or Phoenicia. One such figurine was found in Galilee. However, none of these statuettes comes from controlled excavations. Hence the head from Qitmit may be of importance in reevaluating these metal pieces.