Statuette of a youth, a woman holding an infant and a chubby child

In the heart of the Judean foothills stood the Hellenistic city of Maresha, whose inhabitants – Greeks, Edomites, Sidonians, Egyptians, and a Jewish minority – formed a rich religious and cultural fabric. Fascinating evidence of the many cults that were practiced in the city is provided by the pottery figurines found there, which depict various deities, some reflecting a synthesis of East and West.