Sexual symbolism in the Early Neolithic of the Southern Levant
Pestles and mortars from WF16
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2987356 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Steven Mithen (0000-0002-3391-7443, University of Reading, corresponding author), B Finlayson (0000-0002-0330-8006, Council for British Research in the Levant), Ruth Shaffrey (0000-0002-5209-4454, Oxford Archaeology) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Pages | 103-110 |
| Publication date | 2005-12-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Documenta Praehistorica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1408-967X • E-ISSN: 1854-2492 |
| Publisher | University of Ljubljana (PUBLISHER • SI) |
| DOI | 10.4312/dp.32.6 |
| OpenAlex | W2010482863 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 10 |
WF16 is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in the Southern Levant that has produced an important collection of ground stone artefacts. These include one explicit and one ambiguous representation of a phallus - the latter may be a human head and shoulders. The authors note the visual similarity of certain pestles from WF16 to phalli and suggest that such artefacts and their use may have been imbued with sexual metaphor. As such, the most potent references to sex, reproduction and fertility in the early Neolithic may not be the exotic figures claimed to be 'Mother Goddesses' but located in the most mundane of domestic artefacts
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Geography · Male genitalia · Metaphor · Pottery · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Philosophy
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| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,88 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |