A mold that was used to cast the face of a female clay figurine during the First Temple period may shed new light on similar figurines found in almost every archaeological excavation in the region, researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday.

The 2,600-year-old artifact, discovered in Jerusalem’s Old City, may provide new insights into the challenges Judean kings faced when a previously polytheistic Israelite society began to profess its belief in one God, Eilat Lieber, director and chief curator of the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, told The Times of Israel.

The mold, which stands 7.5 centimeters tall and 6 centimeters wide, was found several months ago, at the end of an excavation conducted at the Kishle, a former Ottoman-era prison located near the Tower of David Museum. The excavations are part of the construction of a new archaeology, art, and innovation wing under development at the museum, funded by Canada’s Schulich Foundation.

Cult figurines are found at virtually every dig in the Jerusalem area, but until now, their molds have never been discovered within the city, Amit Re’em, one of the IAA’s directors of the Kishle excavation, told The Times of Israel.

Usually, Re’em said, these figurines are found in two parts: a clay body shaped crudely by hand, and a head and face designed with great detail and accuracy. Often, the two parts are found detached from one another, indicating that they were probably created separately and then joined together later.

“The emphasis on the face has led researchers to conclude that it probably had an important cultural or religious significance, but it is not clear what it is,” Re’em said. Most likely, they served as private idols — perhaps the fertility goddess Asherah — or household amulets intended to bring blessing, protection or fertility, similar in purpose to a Hamsa symbol.

Others have suggested these may have been common as toys, “but I don’t accept........

© The Times of Israel