GAZA, Palestinian Territories — A stone statuette over
4,500 years old depicting the face of an ancient goddess was discovered in the
southern
Gaza Strip, archaeological authorities in the Palestinian enclave
announced Monday.
اضافة اعلان
Carved out of limestone and 22cm long, the 2500 BC statuette
was found by a farmer working his land in
Khan Younis, according to the
ministry of tourism and antiquities for Hamas.
"The statue represents the Canaanite goddess Anat,"
Jamal Abu Reda, in charge of antiquities at the ministry, said in a statement.
Anat, one of the best-known Canaanite deities, was the
goddess of love and war.
It was uncovered on what was an important "overland
trade route for several civilizations" that lived in what is now the Gaza
Strip, according to Abu Reda.
The find was the latest in Gaza, where tourism at
archaeological sites is limited due to an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007.
In February, workers at a construction site in northern Gaza
discovered 31 Roman-era tombs dating to the first century AD.
Israel and
Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, tightly
restrict the flow of people in and out of the impoverished territory, which is
home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.
In January,
Hamas reopened the remains of a fifth-century
Byzantine church following a years-long restoration effort backed by foreign
donors.
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