1059 - 13 small artifacts from the Near East, 3rd millennium B.C. – mid-1st millennium B.C.

13 small artifacts from the Near East, 3rd millennium B.C. – mid-1st millennium B.C. 1) Hand-molded clay idol of a stylized female deity (Astarte?). Northern Levant. Early 2nd millennium B.C. Legs positioned close together and hips flared; the bent arms are brought in front of the breasts. The navel is clearly marked, with a “hip ornament” below it. Minimal, inconspicuous chipping above the face; otherwise intact. Height 14.5 cm. 2) Canaanite bronze idol, late 2nd millennium BCE. Striding man (the deity Baal?) with arms held close to the body, the left arm slightly bent, and a conical headdress. The left lower leg is broken off. Height 5.9 cm. 3) Bronze foot of a vessel with a horse protome. Eastern Near East, late 2nd millennium BCE. Length 7.8 cm. 4–10) Bronze needles from the Iron Age in the Near East. In addition to simple, double-conical, or profiled heads, there is one specimen with a stylized ram’s head and another with a stylized bird. Some feature distinct inlays; the tips are broken off on two of them. Length 6.4 cm – 24.7 cm. 11–12) Two Near Eastern bronze arrowheads. 5th–4th centuries BCE. Lengths: 2.2 cm and 4.7 cm. 13) Bent, profiled bar of a bronze brooch. 7th–6th centuries BCE. Pin catch and spiral present; pin broken off. Length 6.5 cm. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Provenance: Private collection in southern Germany (acquired from an estate), purchased by the father between the 1970s and 1990s from art dealers in southern Germany. Condition: I -