MARBLE STATUETTE OF A DOLPHIN FOUND IN ISRAEL
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Published on Thursday, 03 September 2015 08:08
This unusual finding took place during archaeological excavations near Kibbutz Magen in the west part of the Negev Desert (in the south of Israel). This area is situated in Israel's south district and borders the Gaza Strip.
A marble statuette shows a dolphin in a vertical position with its head down. A stone-hewn animal keeps a fish in its mouth. This ancient work of art may have been a part of a larger sculpture, possibly a life-size sculpture of a Greek god. Unfortunately, the sculpture misses its tail part which was cut off. According to the experts, the statuette is about 2000 years old and dates to the Roman times. Later it was incorporated into a Byzantine-era paved floor alongside other architectural elements. As one hypothesis says, a stone dolphin was a part of the statue of Aphrodite or Poseidon, who were frequently depicted along with dolphins.
Photo: www.cdn.timesofisrael.com