Gezer, the Canaanite city near Jaffa which formed part of the dowry of one of King Solomon’s wives, is the scene of important discoveries by an expedition working under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund and led by Alan Rowe, the Jerusalem correspondent of The News-Chronicle reports.
Experts have unearthed a head of the Goddess Ashtoreth, a cat fashioned of agate and an image of the cat-headed Egyptian Goddess Bast, all dating from 2,000 B.C.
Additional references to the Gezer excavations are contained in the following cable from The Herald’s correspondent:
“This once royal city of Canaan, on the boundary of Ephraim, actually formed part of the marriage portion of one of Pharaoh’s daughters, whom Solomon married early in his reign.
“Years before the city had been captured by the invading Egyptians and its return was a typical result of Solomon’s reputed wisdom.
“By marrying Pharoah’s daughter he not only secured the friendship of the Egyptians, but also acquired control of this important Canaanite stronghold.
“As soon as he got it back Solomon rebuilt, the fortress which Pharaoh had attacked and left in ruins.
“Apart from the discoveries relating to the ancient history of Gezer, the Palestine Exploration Expedition, led by Mr. Alan Rowe, has found further traces of the Egyptian occupation of the city.
Tombs dating back more than 4,000 years have been unearthed. They are just as they were when first built and through the centuries have escaped the depredations of robbers.”
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