This stone mold (at right) for casting a bronze figurine of a “Horned Goddess,” probably Astarte, was found at Nahariya. This is an open mold, the simplest mold of all, into which the molten bronze is poured, “poled,” or stirred with green twigs, then allowed to cool with a cover to prevent formation of an oxide. The mixture of about 12 percent tin and 89 percent copper melts at about 1000 °F and usually requires a charcoal fire.
The excavations at this Mediterranean coastal site revealed a temple of the Hyksos period (17th-16th centuries B.C.E.) and a striking Canaanite High Place about 45 feet in diameter. Numerous animal bones revealed the practice of animal sacrifices. Other furniture of the temple cult included pottery bowls with seven cups, miniature offering vessels, jewelry, hundreds of beads, animal figurines and many bronze and silver figurines of women. The figurine to the left is a modern cast from the mold revealing the artistic detail of Middle Bronze Canaanite art.
For other cultic remains, see Slides 23, 24, 29, 30, 33 and 46.