Archaeologists excavating near the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum have uncovered a rare clay mold used to produce the face of a female figurine during the First Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced.
The artifact, dating from between the eighth and sixth centuries BCE, is the first figurine-production mold from the period ever found in Jerusalem. Researchers said the discovery provides the clearest evidence to date that at least some of the clay figurines commonly found across ancient Jerusalem were manufactured locally.
“Although many figurines from this period have been uncovered in Jerusalem, this is the first time that a mold used to manufacture them has ever been found in the city,” Israel Antiquities Authority researchers said.
The mold was discovered during excavations at the Kishle, within the Tower of David museum complex, as archaeologists sifted soil removed from layers dating to the First Temple period.
The excavations are being conducted ahead of the construction of the museum’s new Schulich Wing for Archaeology, Art and Innovation, which is intended to combine archaeological remains with contemporary art and technology.
“The mold was discovered while sifting soil removed from fills and accumulations dating to the First Temple period,” excavation directors Dr. Amit Re’em and Dr. Ayala Zilberstein said.
“The Kishle excavation, which has been ongoing for several years, continues to surprise us time and again,” they added. “It is one of the most significant archaeological excavations conducted in Jerusalem in recent decades, presenting 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.”
Following the discovery, the mold was transferred to Israel Antiquities Authority ceramics specialist Tamar Gonen, who removed the soil and exposed the finely detailed facial features preserved inside it.
Conservation specialist Sviatoslav Klindukhov then used the mold to create a cast, producing a reconstruction of a female face with clearly defined features and an elaborate curly hairstyle.
Clay figurines from the First Temple period have been found in archaeological excavations throughout Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. However, the absence of molds had left archaeologists uncertain whether they had been made in Jerusalem or brought into the city from elsewhere.
“Until now, however, no production molds for these figurines had ever been discovered in Jerusalem,” Re’em said. “This raised the question of whether they were manufactured locally or imported from elsewhere.”
“The discovery of this mold at the Kishle is therefore the first of its kind in Jerusalem, providing direct evidence that at least some of these figurines were produced within the city itself,” he said.
The figurines generally stood between 10 and 20 centimeters tall and were formed from clay. Their heads and bodies were usually made separately, with the face pressed into a mold before the pieces were joined together.
That manufacturing process may explain why many of the figurines have been found broken at the neck.
Archaeologists generally divide the figurines into three categories: female figures known as Judean Pillar Figurines, horse-and-rider figures and animal figures, particularly horses.
The female figurines typically depict women with prominent hairstyles and their hands positioned beneath their breasts. Many were coated with a white slip and painted with yellow, red and black pigments.
Researchers remain divided over how the figurines were used and what they represented.
“The meaning and function of these figurines are still not fully understood,” said Debbi Ben-Ami, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s curator of the Iron Age.
“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,” she said.
Some scholars have interpreted the female figures as representations of a fertility goddess, possibly Asherah, while others have suggested that they were children’s toys.
Ben-Ami said they may instead have been household amulets or figures intended to provide protection, good fortune or blessings.
“We hope that the newly discovered mold from Jerusalem will provide fresh insights and help answer some of the questions that continue to occupy researchers,” she said.
The Tower of David Jerusalem Museum plans to give visitors an opportunity to participate in the research over the summer by sifting soil from the Kishle excavations in search of additional artifacts.
“The discovery of the first mold for producing figurines dating to the First Temple period has generated tremendous excitement among all of us,” said Eilat Lieber, the museum’s director and chief curator.
“This summer, visitors will have the extraordinary 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 remarkable heritage.”
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said the mold offered a physical connection to the religious and cultural conditions in Jerusalem before the destruction of the First Temple.
“When such an artifact emerges from the soil of Jerusalem, history becomes real and immediate,” Eliyahu said. “This small piece of pottery tells the story of the beliefs, customs and spiritual challenges that characterized the capital city in ancient times.”
