Taanach Cult Stand
Four tiers of lions, sphinxes, a tree, and a horse under a sun
Found 1968 — Paul W. Lapp, American Schools of Oriental Research / Concordia Seminary expedition (1963–68)
Where Tel Taanach (Tell Ti'innik), southern edge of the Jezreel Valley (West Bank (Palestinian Territories), near Jenin)
Dates from c. 10th century BCE · Iron Age IIA · Judges to early monarchy (Taanach of Judges 5)
Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem
How Taanach Cult Stand was found
Found in a 10th-century cultic context in the same area where Ernst Sellin had found a similar stand in 1902. Lapp's stand came from debris near a building with an olive press and cultic objects.
What it is
A hollow terracotta stand about 54 cm tall with four registers. From the bottom: a naked female between two lions; two winged sphinxes flanking an empty space; a sacred tree with goats, again between lions; and a horse (or calf) with a sun disk above it between two columns. Its top held a bowl for offerings or incense.
Why it matters for the Bible
The stand is a window into the mixed worship the Bible condemns in the Judges and early kingdom periods. The naked goddess with lions is Asherah or Anat; the tree between goats is an 'asherah' symbol; the empty second tier may represent an invisible deity, which some read as YHVH, and the top animal under the sun may be a young bull, the image used at Bethel and Dan. It is a caution against reading Israelite religion as purely aniconic in this period. Taanach itself appears in Shoftim 5:19 as a battle site.
The Hebrew word: ah-shay-RAH
אֲשֵׁרָה
אֲשֵׁרָה is pronounced ah-shay-RAH and means Asherah (goddess) or her sacred pole/tree (Strong's H842).
People this discovery connects to
- Deborah — דְּבוֹרָה (de-vo-RAH) — bee
Places
- Taanach — תַּעְנַךְ (tah-NACH) — sandy (uncertain)
Events
Battle 'at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo' (Judges 5:19) · Canaanites remain in Taanach (Judges 1:27)
Taanach Cult Stand in Scripture
Joshua 12:21 First mention of Taanach in Scripture.
Judges 3:7 Israel 'served the Baals and the Asherahs'; the stand shows what such worship looked like.
Judges 5:19 Deborah's song names Taanach as the battlefield; the stand comes from the town's later Israelite-period shrine.
Questions people ask
What is Taanach Cult Stand?
A hollow terracotta stand about 54 cm tall with four registers. From the bottom: a naked female between two lions; two winged sphinxes flanking an empty space; a sacred tree with goats, again between lions; and a horse (or calf) with a sun disk above it between two columns. Its top held a bowl for offerings or incense.
When was Taanach Cult Stand discovered?
It was found in 1968 by Paul W. Lapp, American Schools of Oriental Research / Concordia Seminary expedition (1963–68), at Tel Taanach (Tell Ti'innik), southern edge of the Jezreel Valley.
Where is Taanach Cult Stand today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Taanach Cult Stand relate to?
Joshua 12:21, Judges 3:7, Judges 5:19.
Related discoveries
- שֵׁןMegiddo IvoriesA Canaanite king's treasure showing the world Israel entered
- בֵּית־אֵלBethel (Beitin)The 'house of El' where Jacob dreamed and Israel later worshiped
- הַר תָּבוֹרMount TaborDeborah's mustering place and the traditional Mount of Transfiguration
- אֲשֵׁרָהJudean Pillar FigurinesThousands of little clay women from Judah's homes — Asherah, prayer aids or charms?
- בָּרוּךְ ... לַיהוהKhirbet el-Qom Tomb Inscription'Uriyahu... blessed by YHVH... by his Asherah' — a Judahite tomb blessing with a carved hand
- אֲשֵׁרָהKuntillet Ajrud Inscriptions'YHVH of Samaria and his Asherah' — blessings painted on storage jars at a desert way-station
Sources
- P. W. Lapp, 'The 1968 Excavations at Tell Ta'annek', BASOR 195 (1969)
- Wikipedia: Ta'anakh cult stand