Ancient Canaanite / Phoenician Cast Bronze Temple Idol / Sacred Votive Figurine (25mm — c. 12th–6th Century BC)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Canaanite / Levantine Near Eastern Temple Sphere.

Item Specifications & Exact Dimensions

• Object: Cast Bronze Temple Idol / Sacred Cult Votive Figurine / Divine Effigy

• Culture / Period: Canaanite / Phoenician / Levantine Iron Age Temple Sphere

• Date Range: Circa 12th Century BC – 6th Century BC (c. 1200 – 600 BC)

• Exact Dimensions: 25 mm height (2.5 cm) × 24 mm wing span

• Material: Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy)

• Form & Architecture: Solid cast sacred votive idol depicting a powerful winged composite deity/entity; features a sculpted lion-paw base extending upward into a feline body, surmounted by horizontally outstretched avian wings; engineered as a freestanding cult effigy for temple altar placement and ritual worship

• Condition: Exceptional, 100% complete ancient condition. Solid structural matrix with intact wings and claw definition, preserved under an authentic dark olive-green bronze patina with thick sandy-tan calcareous burial encrustations. Free of modern restoration or tooling.

Canaanite Temple Worship & Cult Idols

In the ancient high places (bamot) and temple sanctuaries of Canaan and Phoenicia, cast bronze idols were central to religious devotion. Devotees and priests placed small metal idols upon temple altars as sacred votive offerings (ex-voto) to invoke the physical presence and favor of the gods. These effigies were dedicated during solemn temple rituals to secure divine intervention, victory in warfare, and protection from famine or pestilence.

Baal Cult Iconography & Sacred Composite Entities

In the Canaanite pantheon—centered around Baal, Anat, Resheph, and El—divine beings were frequently depicted as majestic composite hybrids. Combining the feline power of a lion (symbolizing strength and territorial dominance) with celestial raptor wings (representing divine ascension and heavenly dominion), this idol embodied a formidable sacred entity tasked with guarding the divine realm and enforcing cultic authority within the temple precinct.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

• Primary Class: Ancient Near Eastern Cultic Antiquities / Sacred Temple Idol

• Sub-Class: Winged Composite Lion Votive Figurine Class

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• Israel Museum, Jerusalem: Iron Age Canaanite and Phoenician bronze votive idols and divine figurines from Holy Land temple excavations (Hazor, Megiddo, and Byblos).

• Louvre Museum (Inv. No. AO 22215): Levantine bronze cultic idols and winged divine effigies from Phoenician sanctuaries.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 49.32.12): Ancient Near Eastern bronze votive figurines and sacred cult Related Items: