Through Layers of Jerusalem History, Archaeologists Discover Figurine Face Mold from First Temple Era

JERUSALEM, Israel – For the first time, archaeologists have uncovered a face mold of a figurine in Jerusalem dating to more than 2,500 years ago. Although figurines are commonly found in excavations, their function remains a mystery.

The face mold was discovered deep in the Tower of David Museum at the end of the kishle, or prison. The mold dates back to the time of the First Temple Period.

Archaeologist Dr. Amit Re'em explained the significance to CBN News. "Actually, it's very exciting because as an archaeologist, you are dealing with stones, you are dealing with the ceramic, and suddenly, you see (a) face! Suddenly, you touch humanity. Suddenly you start to see belief: people, not just stones," he declared.

Re'em explained that figurines are found in all Jerusalem excavations from the 7th and 8th centuries B.C. They're seen as an enigma because, while the bodies were made by hand, a mold was used for the faces.

"Using (a) mold, it means that the face was important. You could play with the body, you could make it by hand, shape it by hand. But the head must be very, very accurate," Re'em told us.

The archaeologists turned to Debora Ben Ami, curator of the Iron Age and Persian Period at the National Treasuries of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to see how it would have been made.

"We have here the mold, pottery made, and then you see here the face inside," she instructed. "We used a plaster to recreate what the figurine looks like. So we put here the material, and then we have the modern impression of the face."

She showed us various pieces, and a full female figurine found in an excavation at the Lachish site, closer to Tel Aviv. While there are theories about how figurines were used, no one knows for sure.

At the beginning of this research, (the thought was) that this is a main goddess, maybe Asherah, maybe Ashtoreth; then, a lot of,(speculation that it is) a fertility goddess, even a toy. Today, we are more in the way of thinking about a blessing image, a kind of mediator," Ben Ami said.

Israel's Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, said this about the discovery:

"According to the sages, the First Temple was destroyed because of three principal sins: idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed. The discovery of a mold for producing figurines from the First Temple Period in the heart of Jerusalem offers us a tangible glimpse into the world in which the prophets of Israel lived, and into the spiritual and cultural realities they confronted."

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We stood inside the kishle – the prison – the site of the discovery. When archaeologists started excavating here more than 25 years ago, they had no idea what kind of treasures they'd find from the Second and even First Temple periods. 

Eilat Lieber, director and chief curator of the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum, told CBN News, "I wanted to build an education wing right here. But then the archaeologists came and said, 'Listen, we are the first to check what's going on here before your plan, before everything, because this is ancient Jerusalem."

Kishle is a Turkish word from the Ottoman Era meaning "winter shelter." When the excavation began there, a former British jail built in the 1930s was on top of everything.

Archaeologists dug through the period of the Crusaders down to the foundations of Herod's First-Century private palace, and then down to the First Temple time. Now that they have reached bedrock, the excavation is winding down.

Lieber noted, "It contains all the layers and levels from the history of Jerusalem. It's like a microcosm of the history of the city."

She said they are moving ahead with the new Schulich Wing for Archaeology, Art, and Innovation.

After the excavation, the aniquities will be displayed using artifacts, projection technology, and models, to tell the story of those who made history in Jerusalem.

Lieber concluded, "We want people to enter this beautiful, beautiful architecture, to be amazed by the building, but more than this, to discover the antiquities."