A stone statue representing the ancient goddess Anat has been unearthed in the southern Gaza Strip, archaeologists said on April 25.
4,500-year-old limestone statue depicting the god Anat. Image: Lebanese News and Updates
According to the Hamas Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the statue, which dates from around 2500 BC, is carved from limestone and is 22 centimeters long. A farmer found it by chance while working on his land in the city of Khan Younis.
The head of the Hamas Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Jamal Abu Reda said the statue depicts the face of Anat, one of the most famous deities of the ancient Canaanites. She is the goddess of love, beauty and war.
The Gaza Strip, a narrow coastal enclave along the Mediterranean, boasts a wealth of artifacts and archaeological sites as it was a major overland route connecting ancient civilizations in Egypt, the Levant, and Mesopotamia.
However, when the militant group Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip a decade ago, much of the Canaanite settlement was destroyed to make way for housing development.
In February of this year, the workers also accidentally discovered 31 graves Roman period dating to the first century at a construction site in northern Gaza. In 2013, a life-size statue of the Greek god Apollo was also unearthed in the area but later disappeared and has yet to be found.
Doan Duong (According to AFP/Washington Post)
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