Pendant with Near Eastern Goddess (Astarte?)

Image Not Available

Expand

IIIFView PDF

Pendant with Near Eastern Goddess (Astarte?)

Place of OriginPossibly Syria

DateLate 16th-13th century BCE

DimensionsMax L: 1 1/8 in. (2.7 cm); Max W: 7/8 in. (2.2 cm)

MediumMolded monochrome dark blue glass.

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1923.218

Not on View

DescriptionMolded monochrome dark blue glass pendant, depicting a standing nude female figure, possibly the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar (Astarte). The upper portion of the figure is preserved, showing a three-quarter relief of a woman holding her breasts. Her hair is arranged in vertical plaits, pulled back from her forehead and falling behind her ears. She wears a broad, curving necklace and a horizontal headband. The pendant was cast in an open, one-piece mold, leaving a raised moldmark to the right of the arm. The underside is flat but slightly uneven, featuring a vertical groove near the left edge, possibly another moldmark. At a point just below the breasts (where the pendant broke in antiquity), a transverse thread hole is present, either rod-formed or pushed through from one side. It was likely fire-polished, with stress marks visible on the underside.

Label TextThis fragmentary glass pendant, dating to around 1500 B.C., preserves the upper portion of a standing female figure, part of a small group of goddess pendants (1923.195, 1923.214, 1923.218) that are among the earliest glass objects in the Museum’s collection. The figure’s gesture of holding her breasts is a widespread symbol of fertility, childbirth, and protection. Pendants like this have been found in Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Cyprus, and Mycenaean Greece, especially at Megiddo, Lachish, and Beth Shean, where their temple contexts suggest a votive function. While often linked to Ishtar (Astarte), their widespread use indicates a broader fertility-related significance rather than direct divine representation. Similar figures in metal and pottery highlight a shared religious tradition across the region. This pendant was cast in an open, one-piece mold, with a raised moldmark on the right arm and a thread hole for suspension. Its widespread distribution suggests it was part of an interconnected trade and religious network.Published ReferencesBarag, Dan P., "Mesopotamian Core-Formed Glass Vessels (1500-500 B.C.)," in A. Leo Oppenheim, Robert H. Brill, Dan P. Barag, and Axel von Saldern, Glass and Glassmaking in Ancient Mesopotamia, Corning, N.Y., 1970, pp. 188-189 and 199.

Grose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-Formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B.C. to A.D. 50, Hudson Hills Press in Association with the Toledo Museum of Art, New York, 1989, cat. no. 2, p. 58, repr. (col.) p. 39, drawing, p. 397.