Behind | Some Gods and Goddesses

In the ancient world, people processed everything in terms of the supernatural, from major life-events to the mundane details of daily life. Archaeologists have found countless representatives of the gods and goddesses that were believed to order the world. These idols were used for a variety of purposes—public display, cultic use and even private use.

An Asherah pillar figurine from Judah (Iron Age II).

Egyptian goddess Isis nursing Horus. Isis was considered the mother of all Pharaohs.

A representation of the Hittite storm god found at Carchemish, a counterpart to the Canaanite Ba’al.

Bull or calf idols were common among Israel’s neighbors. We saw it first in the Sinai desert and will see references to Ba’al who was depicted this way.