WINTER 2020 | BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW 39 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW | WINTER 2020 38 IN THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OF BAR, * Yosef Garfinkel claimed that an anthropomorphic (human-shaped) clay head from Khirbet Qeiyafa, two similar clay heads and two horse figurines from Tel Moz · a, and two anthropomorphic vessels from the Dayan Collection should be viewed as a new type of male figurine from the early Iron Age II (tenth–ninth cen- turies B.C.E.). 1 He interprets three of these figures as representing a rider and a horse. He also suggests that the Hebrew Bible sometimes depicts Yhwh as a rider on a horse and, con- sequently, declares that the clay heads from Qeiyafa and Moz · a form a unique iconographic type of figurine that rep- resents a male god, possibly Yhwh. Unfortunately, his argument is riddled with inaccuracies, and his * Yosef Garfinkel, “Face of Yahweh?” BAR, Fall 2020. methodology disregards available evidence on ancient coroplastic (ter- racotta) art and the study of religion in ancient Israel. We reject Garfinkel’s presentation of the figurative clay artifacts, his interpretative framework, and the alleged metaphor of Yhwh as a seated horseman. Presentation of Figurines Garfinkel’s iconographic and typo- logical discussion is based on the grouping of seven clay artifacts: an anthropomorphic head from Khir- bet Qeiyafa, two anthropomorphic heads and two horse figurines from Tel Moz · a, and two unprovenanced vessels from the Dayan Collection which originated in the antiquities market—a Philistine-type strainer jug, and a rider-and-horse-shaped vessel. He asserts that the four items from Moz · a represent only two artifacts, arguing that each of the two separate heads should be paired with a horse. Yet Garfinkel overlooks their obvious typological, stylistic, and technological differences, all of which negate such a grouping. Further, the rudimentary, schematic representation of the horse- and-rider pottery vessel, which was fashioned as a single, inseparable dis- penser of liquids, is markedly different than the detailed facial features of the Moz · a and Qeiyafa anthropomorphic heads and elaborate trappings and harness of the Moz · a horse figurines. e figurines from Moz · a form the backbone of Garfinkel’s identification of the items as depictions of a deity. Since the Moz · a objects were found in a clear cultic context, their intrinsic religious nature and significance are unquestionable. But in the absence of any divine markers and given their similarity to clay figures throughout the region, they cannot be assumed to depict gods. e four Moz · a figurines were hand modeled out of local Moz · a marl clay.* One human head is about 1.1 * See Shua Kisilevitz and Oded Lipschits, “Another Temple in Judah! The Tale of Tel Moẓa,” BAR, January/February 2020. inches high and 1 inch wide, while the other is about 1.3 inches high and 1.1 inches wide. ey are fashioned “in the round” out of a solid piece of clay. Clay appliqués were attached to form the hair, a round headdress with raised edges, and prominent facial features, including a nose with punctured nostrils, ears, pellet eyes punctured in the center to simulate the pupil, and a pointed chin. One of the heads has puncturing on the chin that simulates a beard and indi- cates its male gender; the other does not. Close inspection of their backs indicates that the heads were free- standing figures and probably origi- nally belonged to figurines. Perhaps one was even the rider mounted on the larger horse figurine. However, they may as well have been attached to a vessel or another object, such as a clay stand or shrine model (e.g., see the shrine model from Tel Reh · ov).** e Moz · a zoomorphic (animal- shaped) figurines depict harnessed horses with similar incised mouths and punctured pellet eyes and nos- trils, but the two differ in size, detail, and production. e large figurine (about 5 in high and 6 in long) is meticulously fashioned, and its some- what realistic details include trap- pings and the feet and left leg of a rider, whose body is not preserved; the rider may be represented by one of the anthropomorphic heads, but this cannot be proved. While the horse’s body is hollow, its head and limbs are solid. e smaller figurine (about 1.4 in high and 3 in long) is completely solid and crafted in a more schematic and rudimentary form, depicting remains of a pack or rider on the back of the horse and blinders flanking the eyes. Garfinkel disregards typological, technological, iconographic, and con- textual discussion of the figurines from Moz · a and their interregional context. 2 He also ignores other early Iron Age artifacts that share stylistic characteristics with the Moz · a and Qeiyafa artifacts. Anthropomorphic figurines, for example, are known from Ashdod along the coast and Tel Kinrot on the shore of the Sea of ** See Amihai Mazar and Nava Panitz-Cohen, “To What God? Altars and a House Shrine from Tel Rehov Puzzle Archaeologists,” BAR, July/August 2008. SHUA KISILEVITZ, IDO KOCH, ODED LIPSCHITS, AND DAVID S. VANDERHOOFT A Critical Response to Yosef Garfinkel Facing the Facts about the “ Face of God ” KEEPING YOUR HEADS STRAIGHT. These figurines come from Khirbet Qeiyafa and Tel Moẓa. While Yosef Garfinkel argues that these heads are uncommonly large and constitute a unique typology dating to the tenth century B.C.E., the authors of this article highlight the average size of the Moẓa heads and the simi- larities between the three heads and other anthropomorphic figures in the region, in regard to production techniques and features (i.e., puncturing, round headdresses, promi- nent pellet eyes, ears, and noses). Measuring about 2 inches (5 cm) tall, the Qeiyafa head depicts a male figure with prominent eyes, ears, and a nose, as well as a flat top ringed by holes. Yet it has no chin or beard. The Moẓa heads, each measuring about 1 inch (2.8 and 3.4 cm) tall, have pro- nounced chins (one punctured to simulate a beard), eyes, ears, and noses, and wear round headdresses above styled hair locks. PHOTOS BY CLARA AMIT, ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY 3 cm 0 3 cm 0 Qeiyafa head Moẓa heads