Bassam Barakat Antiquities

Description

Iron Age Stamp Seal Depicting The Sacred Tree, 1000 – 720 BC.
Palm Tree flanked by two dancing figures.

In these seals the palm tree is flanked by two figures, usually dancing, sometimes seated or standing. One particularly fine

specimen depicts a palm tree flanked by two ostriches.
The scene has been interpreted by O. Keel as the ”tree cult” symbolising the sacred grove of Asherah known from biblical sources: ”You shall not set up an asherah (‘sacred pole ‘) or any kind of pole beside the altar of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 16:21); ”Pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father and cut down the asherah which is beside it (Judges 6:25 ); ”He [Ahab] erected an altar to Baal in the temple of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an asherah (I Kings 16:32-33).
The considerable production of I this motif shows that it was deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the local populace.
References: Sacred Bounty sacred land Edited by Joan Goodnick Westenholz page 180