A Limestone Statuette Fragment from Tell Qasile and the Persian-Period Cypriot Statuary in the Southern Levant

This article examines a limestone statuette fragment discovered at Tell Qasile. Identified as a Cypriot statuette of Persian-period date, the fragment contributes to the growing corpus of Cypriot statuary uncovered in the southern Levant. Following its description and identification, the fragment is discussed within a broader framework of Cypriot limestone statuary, which flourished on the island, especially in the Cypro-Archaic and Cypro-Classical periods. A comprehensive review of the 42 Cypriot statues and statuettes found in modern Israel to date relates to geographic distribution, date, archaeological contexts, craftmanship, size, mobility, trade, Cypriot identity, and the local meaning assigned to these foreign objects.