This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually for the Phoenicians – who seem to have had more goddesses than gods – it represents a male. The figure halts at about the level of the knees, and has been slightly restored so it stands correctly. The detailing of the piece has largely been ignored or perhaps eroded, which endows it with a considerable monolithic presence. The figure is very broad, but comparatively shallow from front to back. The major lines indicate that it is attired in a simple tunic, and that the head was probably covered with some textile that ran into the main garment(s). The lines of the face indicate high, sharp cheekbones, a long nose and a slight smile that is reminiscent of early Greek Archaic pieces. The arms have been damaged but it appears that he was originally standing with his right arm raised in what is generally assumed to be benediction, and the left resting on the hip/side. The back of the piece is almost completely plain, implying that it was always meant to be viewed from the front rather than in the round, which is appropriate for figures destined for shrines. The piece retains some calcareous concretions from its long interment in the Mediterranean, and one especially impressive shell is adhering to the right arm.

Antiquities
Ancient Near East