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A unique clay figurine, now broken, was found in the excavations at Tel Beer Sheba in the Negev, one of a large corpus of about 350 Iron Age figurines from this site. It was found in a courtyard of a Level II building, dated to the late eighth century B.C. Though the locus is not completely secure, the Iron Age date is clear according to typology (the ware, whitewash, and general form are all typical of Iron Age II Judah). The figurine combines a horse's body with an anthropomorphic head, which is similar to heads of Judaean pillar figurines (but smaller). Two unique features, not found in Judaean figurines, were added: triangular ears and male genitals. Following discussion of various ancient "monsters," we identify this figurine as a centaur, which finds the closest parallels in Cypriote hermaphrodite centaur figurines. There is other evidence for connections between Judah and Cyprus during this period. We assume that the figurine is a result of such a connection, perhaps indirectly through a Philistine city. Centaurs are unknown so far from Iron Age Judah, and this figurine remains a rare exception; hence, it cannot inform us much about Judaean religious beliefs.
"Si usted sale a cazar tigres y se encuentra con un centaure, tambien provocara una revolucion en la zoologia. Pero no es esa clase de revoluciones la que provocan los genios."
(Sabato 1972: 270)
INTRODUCTION
The site of Tel Beer Sheba is located in the Beer Sheba Valley, identified as the biblical Negev of Judah, a few kilometers east of modern Beer Sheba. The site was extensively excavated on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University in 1969-1975 under the direction of the late Y. Aharoni, and in 1976 under Ze'ev Herzog. The excavation revealed 13 strata, ranging from Iron I to the Early Arab period. The main significance of the site is the extensive unearthing of remains of a small city in Stratum II, which is related to the administration of the Kingdom of Judah in the eighth century B.C. A network of streets divides the well-planned city into domestic and administrative quarters. The city was strongly fortified and permitted entry through an impressive gate. In addition to domestic quarters, it included a...