A Reexamination of Aegean-Style Figurines in Light of New Evidence from Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron

Abstract

The article discusses terracotta figurines from Iron Age Philistia that are made in the form of Mycenaean figurines or illustrate Aegean iconographic elements. Together with new material published from Ashdod, previously unpublished examples from the new excavations at Tel Miqne-Ekron and Ashkelon call for a reexamination of the typology and function of this group of figurines. As these objects may reflect both cultic practices affiliated with the Aegean and specific religious elements unique for the Philistines, they are especially important; they also indicate if and in what manner certain iconographic elements in Philistia developed over the course of the Iron Age. Both previously published and new data are discussed in terms of the typology, chronology, context, function, and significance of these artifacts in light of the contemporary Late Helladic IIIC and Late Cypriot III material culture.