Iron Age Astarte Head

Description

Iron Age Astarte-Type Female Head
Levant, Iron Age II, circa 8th–6th century BC

Female head representing the Astarte tradition, dating to the Iron Age and belonging to the artistic culture of the ancient Levant. The figure displays the characteristic stylized features associated with Levantine female representations of the period: large almond-shaped eyes, a prominent straight nose, a small mouth, and a carefully arranged multi-tiered coiffure or headdress, formed by several horizontal bands above the forehead and extending along the sides of the face.

The head originally part of a larger Statue. Such female representations are traditionally associated with Astarte (Ashtart), one of the principal goddesses of the Canaanite and Phoenician world, connected with fertility, femininity, protection, and divine power.