I apologize in advance for how poorly organized this might be.
If you're not familiar with the Kuntillet Ajrud Pithoi, check out this link. Basically archaeologists found jars in a shrine in Sinai from about 800 BCE. One jar had an inscription in early Hebrew saying "I have blessed you by Yahweh of Samaria and Asherah" with an elaborate picture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuntillet_Ajrud
I believe that the picture depicts an Akkadian myth about the birth of the sun god as a suckling calf. That Akkadian myth describes the sun rising in the constellation Taurus at the spring equinox in the Bronze Age. The Jewish New Year is synchronized to the spring equinox, so the Kuntillet Ajrud Pithoi is an early Israeli New Years greeting card. Yahweh of Samaria is the suckling calf, and we know that the Northern tribes had a golden calf in Samaria at their temple.
I found this link that has some good ideas about the meaning of the pictures:
http://www.lebtahor.com/Archaeology/inscriptions/kuntillet ajrud inscriptions.htm
Left-most is a cow with a suckling calf. Next are two lion-faced gods (Bes and his wife https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bes ). Right-most is a woman sitting on a cat-footed chair playing a harp (Asherah?). A second scene on the other side shows Asherah as the Tree of Life flanked by two caprids and standing on a lion.
One more character to introduce is the moon god who fathered the sun god ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_(mythology) ) The moon god is usually depicted as a bull or a crescent moon with the corners pointing up like a bull's horns.
Now let me summarize an Akkadian myth quoted in "Bovine Symbolism in the Exodus Narrative" by Jack M. Sasson. (Sasson's impressive credentials are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_M._Sasson )
http://discoverarchive.vanderbilt.edu/handle/1803/3743
Basically the moon god (also a bull) falls in love with a beautiful cow in his herd. He has intercourse with the cow. The cow has a long and painful period of labor. The moon god sends TWO guardian demons (midwifes) to apply oil and water to comfort the cow. Finally a suckling calf is born.
Now compare this story with the picture on the jar. Bes is the Egyptian god that helps with pregnancies and family life. There are TWO Bes images like the TWO midwifes.
Finally, consider the constellation Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer. The cow would be Taurus, the Bes pair would be Gemini, and the harp player (Asherah?) might be Cancer. The sun would rise under the constellation Taurus much like the suckling calf. (The bronze age was the Taurian astrological age).
Any thoughts?
If you're not familiar with the Kuntillet Ajrud Pithoi, check out this link. Basically archaeologists found jars in a shrine in Sinai from about 800 BCE. One jar had an inscription in early Hebrew saying "I have blessed you by Yahweh of Samaria and Asherah" with an elaborate picture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuntillet_Ajrud
I believe that the picture depicts an Akkadian myth about the birth of the sun god as a suckling calf. That Akkadian myth describes the sun rising in the constellation Taurus at the spring equinox in the Bronze Age. The Jewish New Year is synchronized to the spring equinox, so the Kuntillet Ajrud Pithoi is an early Israeli New Years greeting card. Yahweh of Samaria is the suckling calf, and we know that the Northern tribes had a golden calf in Samaria at their temple.
I found this link that has some good ideas about the meaning of the pictures:
http://www.lebtahor.com/Archaeology/inscriptions/kuntillet ajrud inscriptions.htm
Left-most is a cow with a suckling calf. Next are two lion-faced gods (Bes and his wife https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bes ). Right-most is a woman sitting on a cat-footed chair playing a harp (Asherah?). A second scene on the other side shows Asherah as the Tree of Life flanked by two caprids and standing on a lion.
One more character to introduce is the moon god who fathered the sun god ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_(mythology) ) The moon god is usually depicted as a bull or a crescent moon with the corners pointing up like a bull's horns.
Now let me summarize an Akkadian myth quoted in "Bovine Symbolism in the Exodus Narrative" by Jack M. Sasson. (Sasson's impressive credentials are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_M._Sasson )
http://discoverarchive.vanderbilt.edu/handle/1803/3743
Basically the moon god (also a bull) falls in love with a beautiful cow in his herd. He has intercourse with the cow. The cow has a long and painful period of labor. The moon god sends TWO guardian demons (midwifes) to apply oil and water to comfort the cow. Finally a suckling calf is born.
Now compare this story with the picture on the jar. Bes is the Egyptian god that helps with pregnancies and family life. There are TWO Bes images like the TWO midwifes.
Finally, consider the constellation Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer. The cow would be Taurus, the Bes pair would be Gemini, and the harp player (Asherah?) might be Cancer. The sun would rise under the constellation Taurus much like the suckling calf. (The bronze age was the Taurian astrological age).
Any thoughts?