A rare Judean Pillar Figurine mold dating to the First Temple period was found during archaeological excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Israel Antiquities Authority said it was the first mold ever found in Israel to produce such figures dating back to that period. The artifact turned up inside the Tower of David Museum during work ahead of construction of the new Schulich Wing for Archaeology, Art, and Innovation. The state’s heritage machinery, as usual, gets the first and last word.
A City Sifted for Its Past
The mold was discovered while sifting soil removed from fills and accumulations dating to the First Temple period, according to IAA Excavation Directors Dr. Amit Re’em and Dr. Ayala Zilberstein. They said the Kishle excavation has been ongoing for several years and continues to surprise them time and again. Re’em called it one of the most significant archaeological excavations conducted in Jerusalem in recent decades, saying it presents the city’s history in a clear and continuous sequence, from the days of the Kings of Judah, through the many periods that shaped Jerusalem, and up to the British Mandate. That’s the state’s favorite trick: turn layered human life into a neat timeline, then stamp a museum label on it.
After the discovery, the mold was handed to Tamar Gonen, a ceramics conservation and restoration specialist at the IAA, who cleaned the artifact and revealed its inner design of finely crafted facial features. It was then passed to conservation and restoration specialist Sviatoslav Klindukhov, who created a cast from an appropriate material. The result was a full reconstruction of the face of a female figurine, with clearly defined features and an elaborate curly hairstyle. The object has been processed, stabilized, interpreted, and made presentable by the institution that owns the narrative.
What the Artifact Says, and What It Doesn’t
The Jerusalem find is the first mold of its kind in the city, and Re’em said clay figurines from the First Temple period have been found in almost every excavation conducted in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Until now, however, no production molds for these figurines had ever been discovered in Jerusalem. That raised the question of whether they were manufactured locally or imported from elsewhere. The discovery at the Kishle provides direct evidence that at least some of these figurines were produced within the city itself.
Three prominent types of First Temple figurines have been found: female figurines, commonly known as Judean Pillar Figurines; those depicting a horse and its rider; and zoomorphic, or animal, figurines, primarily representing horses. Made of clay, these figurines are often between approximately 10 and 20 centimeters high. They are typically covered in a white coating, though surviving traces of pigment indicate they were originally painted in yellow, red and black. When discovered, they are often found broken at the neck, a result of the manufacturing technique in which the head and body were made separately by hand, while only the face was formed using a mold.
According to IAA Iron Age Curator Debbi Ben-Ami, the function of the Judean Pillar Figurines has not yet been fully understood. She said the fact that they have been found in almost every household, as well as in streets and tombs, indicates that they were objects of everyday use, while their identity and purpose remain the subject of scholarly debate. Ben-Ami said scholars have proposed several interpretations, including that they are the representation of a fertility goddess such as Asherah, the ancient Northwest Semitic goddess believed to have been the wife of El or Yahweh. Other scholars have suggested that the figurines might have been children’s toys. A third possibility, she said, is that they served as blessing figures, household amulets intended to bring protection and good fortune. She said the newly discovered mold from Jerusalem may provide fresh insights and help answer some of the questions that continue to occupy researchers.
Ben-Ami also said the use of figurines during the First Temple period is still unclear and that their presence seems to contradict the biblical prohibition, quoting Exodus 20:3: “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness.” She said, “We don't know exactly what the biblical prohibition refers to, but the archaeological reality is that figurines are found in every home. We have no texts indicating exactly what was done with these figurines, but we know they were in homes, on the streets and in tombs.” She added, “In the past, attempts were made to name the figurines, like Asherah” and said some thought they were fertility figurines or children’s toys. “Personally, I see them as a mediating figure,” she said. “When you ask the upper realms for blessings and abundance, you're seeking an intermediary. Maybe it's a minor goddess. We don't know what rituals were performed with these figurines. Many more questions than answers surround this issue.”
Heritage as Institutional Theater
Tower of David Jerusalem Museum Director and Chief Curator Eilat Lieber said the discovery of the first mold for producing figurines dating to the First Temple period has generated tremendous excitement among all of them. She said the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum is built on the idea that Jerusalem’s past continues to shape its present, and that this summer visitors will have the opportunity to take part in real archaeological research by sifting soil from the Kishle excavations. She said every fragment recovered helps illuminate another chapter in the story of Jerusalem, making participants true partners in preserving and revealing the city’s heritage.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that, according to the Jewish sages, the First Temple was destroyed because of three principal sins: idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed. He said the discovery of a mold for producing figurines from the First Temple period in the heart of Jerusalem offers a tangible glimpse into the world in which the prophets of Israel lived and into the spiritual and cultural realities they confronted. He said that when such an artifact emerges from the soil of Jerusalem, history becomes real and immediate, and that this small piece of pottery tells the story of the beliefs, customs and spiritual challenges that characterized the capital city in ancient times.
The artifact may be ancient, but the machinery around it is thoroughly modern: ministries, museums, curators, and excavation directors all competing to narrate Jerusalem through institutional authority. The mold sits in the middle of that apparatus now, cleaned, cast, and translated into heritage language.