What is it about?
Contrary to a widely held view, it is suggested that the origin of the Philistine Goddess of Ekron should not be sought in the Aegean world but rather in northern Syria.
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Why is it important?
Although there are many suggestions on this contested topic (locating the goddess of Ekron mainly in the Aegean). Other scholars have reached a rather pessimistic conclusion, according to which the identification of the goddess of Ekron at this point is simply unknown. While this may still be correct, it is also possible that by focusing on northern Syria for locating the origin of the goddess of Ekron, we may start seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
Perspectives
The article puts forward a new hypothesis concerning the origin of the goddess of Ekron, mentioned in Ekron’s royal dedicatory inscription from the early 7th century BCE.
Alexander Fantalkin
Tel Aviv University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Toward the Identification of the Goddess of Ekron, Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, December 2017, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15692124-12341288.
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