P M Michele Daviau

ntroduction
In the past, our knowledge of Moabite
culture was confined to information contained
in a limited group of textual and
cultural resources. Literary sources included
the Mesha Inscription (Dearman 1989) and
occasional references in Hebrew texts and
Assyrian royal inscriptions, while the results
from regional surveys and a small number
of excavations at Iron Age sites contributed
to a partial understanding of Moabite material
culture. These sources yielded a rather
homogeneous, if not sporadic, view of
Moabite life on the Dhībān plateau. However,
the discovery, excavation, and
publication of a wayside shrine in northern
Moʼāb (WT-13) revealed a complex
assemblage of pottery and artefacts reflective
of diverse cultures, many of which surpass
known textual information. At the same time,
excavation at the town site of Khirbat al-
Mudaynah on the Wādī ath-Thamad (henceforth,
Mudaynat ath-Thamad; also known
as Khirbat al-Mudayna and Mudayna
Thamad) has yielded dozens of unique Iron
Age figurines and statues whose cultural
affinities have yet to be fully explained.1 This
paper is an investigation of these objects
in an attempt to understand the influences
evident in the finds from the small town and
their implications for the temple cult, the
history of the site, and the interactions of
peoples in the region and beyond.

... W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 Canada; email: mdaviau@wlu.ca; 2Andrew J. Graham, HazelMcCallion Academic Learning Centre, University of Toronto Missisauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd N., Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6 Canada; email: andrew.graham@utoronto.ca ...

Unusual items found during excavation are often cited at the expense of everyday pots and tools. At the same time, such objects re ect the commercial, political, social and cultural traditions of the inhabitants. Such is the case of a black pyxis decorated with incised triangles filled with punctated dots recovered at Khirbat al-Mudayna on the northern edge of the Dhiban plateau. This late Iron Age II vessel was part of a high status collection which reflects Assyrian and Egypto-Phoenician influences in northern Moab. This study is presented in honor of Denyse Homès-Fredericq whose appreciation for imported objects is reflected in her work at Lahun.