How were male and female deities understood in ancient Canaan and Israel? How was the Yahweh cult affected by religious and political features of Egypt, Assyria, and Canaan? Justifying the use of symbols and visual remains to investigate ancient religion, the authors reconstruct the emergence and development of the Yahweh cult in relation to its immediate neighbors and competitors.

Winner of Biblical Archaeology Society AwardBest Scholarly Book on ArchaeologyHow were male and female deities understood in ancient Canaan and Israel? Did Yahweh, the God of Israel, ever have a divine consort or partner? How was the Yahweh cult affected by religious and political features of Egypt, Assyria, and Canaan? Vindicating the use of symbols and visual remains to investigate ancient religion, the authors reconstruct the emergence and development of the Yahweh cult in relation to its immediate neighbors and competitors.