Statue of 'Goddess of Fertility' Found by Seven-Year-Old Boy

A seven-year-old Israeli boy discovered a statue of the 'Goddess of Fertility' near his home in northern Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post on Friday, March 7, this small statue, dating back approximately 3,400 years, is made of pottery and depicts a naked woman standing, measuring the size of a palm. Officials from the Israel Antiquities Authority have assessed the statue to be related to the Canaanite civilization in the region, dating back to around 1300 to 1500 BC. Professor Amihai Mazar, head of the archaeology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a senior expert at the Israel Antiquities Authority, added that this period coincided with the reign of the Pharaohs of Egypt. According to this Israeli archaeologist, the 'Goddess of Fertility' was imaginatively created in the likeness of Queen Esther at that time. Jewish traditions mention Esther as the Jewish queen of Persia during the reign of King Xerxes. This queen is also referred to as a symbol of fertility under the names 'Ishtar' and 'Astarte'. The Jerusalem Post reported that the seven-year-old boy named Uri Greenhut found the statue while playing near his home on the Rehov Hill in the city of Beit She'an in northern Israel. When Uri brought the discovered item home and showed it to his mother, Mrs. Moria Greenhut, she immediately recognized it as a valuable archaeological artifact. The mother and son promptly contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority and went to meet the officials of this organization to hand over the statue. On Thursday, March 6, officials from the Israel Antiquities Authority visited the school where Uri studies in a shared farm and awarded him for being a loyal citizen. The Jerusalem Post also published a photo of Uri holding the discovered item, which is the size of his palm, on the hill where he found it. Exciting historical discoveries are continuously reported from Israel due to its ancient civilizational background. Just last week, remains of a 7,000-year-old ancient site from the Neolithic period were found in the outskirts of Jerusalem, revealing that human habitation in this land is much older than previously discussed by archaeologists.