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Heritage Floor Tags > period: Ancient Israel
Abigail
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 950 B.C., ancient IsraelAccording to the Old Testament, Abigail saved the life of her husband, Nabal the Carmelite, when King David tried to kill him for refusing to be hospitable to him and... Read more
Alexandra of Jerusalem
b. 139 B.C., Judea (modern-day Israel); d. 67 B.C., JudeaSalome Alexandra of Jerusalem took the throne as an independent queen of Judea in 76 B.C., after the death of her husband. During her reign, Alexandra effectively mediated internal tensions... Read more
Alukah
Mythic, exact dates uncertain, by 500 B.C.Biblical scholars describe Alukah as a succubus or vampire, perhaps a cognate of Lilith, a female demon in rabbinic literature who derives from Mesopotamian demonology. In Hebrew, alukah means... Read more
Anath
Mythic, worshipped throughout the Levant by at least the mid-third millennium B.C.Anath (Anat) was worshipped by the Canaanites, the peoples of ancient Israel, as a goddess of love and warfare. She was the mother of Shamgar, who freed the Hebrews from... Read more
Asherah
Mythic, worshipped by Semitic peoples of Syria and Israel, beginning circa 1200 B.C.Scholars generally agree that Asherah is identical to Athirat, the mother goddess worshipped in the ancient city of Ugarit (in Syria). Asherah/Athirat, known as "she who treads on the sea,"... Read more
Athaliah
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 840 B.C., Judah (modern-day Israel)The Old Testament figure Athaliah was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel. She married King Jehoram of Judah, descendant of King David, a union which... Read more
Deborah
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 1293–1257 B.C., ancient IsraelDeborah was a prophet, poet, and the only female judge of Israel named in the Old Testament. Legend states that based on a vision, she called up General Barak and... Read more
Huldah
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 620s B.C., JerusalemHuldah, a school teacher and prophetess living in Jerusalem, was asked to deliver God's opinion when Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, was rediscovered in the 620s B.C.... Read more
Jezebel
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 860 B.C., ancient IsraelJezebel was a ninth-century queen of Israel, wife of King Ahab. She worshipped Baal and Astarte, the god and goddess of fertility, and was condemned for converting Ahab to... Read more
Leah
Biblical, exact dates uncertain, ancient IsraelThe Old Testament figure Leah was the daughter of Laban, a shepherd who was visited by Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, in his search for a wife.... Read more
Maacah
Biblical, reputedly flourished circa 915 B.C., Judah (modern-day Israel)Daughter of King David's son Absalom, Maacah (Maachah) was a queen and, depending upon the version of the story, the mother or the grandmother of Asa, king of Judah. Asa... Read more
Naomi
Biblical, exact dates uncertain, Judah and Moab (modern-day Israel)As told in the Old Testament Book of Ruth, Naomi was a woman from Judah who, during a time of famine, moved her family to Moab, a city just east... Read more
Rachel (Judith group)
Biblical, exact dates uncertain, ancient IsraelRachel was the chosen and favorite wife of Jacob, over her sister Leah, his first wife. Unable to conceive for many years, she offered her handmaid to Jacob instead.... Read more
Rebekah
Biblical, exact dates uncertain, ancient IsraelThe Old Testament relates that Rebekah was a young girl from the countryside who married Isaac, son of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. She and Isaac had two sons, Esau and... Read more
Ruth
Biblical, exact dates uncertain, Moab (modern-day Israel)Ruth was a woman from Moab who married a son of Naomi, from the town of Judah. Ruth's husband died during a time of famine, leaving her a widow.... Read more
Virgin Mary
Biblical, flourished circa A.D. 1–50, Judah (modern-day Israel)In Christianity, Mary is the virgin mother of Jesus Christ who is venerated in several different roles, including that of protector of women and children. Some scholars believe that she... Read more
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum