The Thrill of Unexpected Finds: Stories of Discoveries

12. Farmer Finds 4,500-year-old Statuette of Ancient Goddess

Location: Palestine's Gaza Strip Year Found: 2022 Estimated Value: Not Known A farmer in the Gaza Strip discovered a limestone statue of the ancient Canaanite goddess Anat while tending to his land. Canaanite mythology described the 4,500-year-old goddess as the embodiment of beauty, love, and warfare. The fact that the statue had an "inscription of a snake" on its head let the farmer, Nidal Abu Eid, tell NBC News that he realized right away that the statue was significant.

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A farmer discovers a 4,500-year-old statue of an ancient goddess. The snake was said to have been worn by the goddess as a crown of strength and invisibility. Some historians claim that because Athena is frequently shown with snakes, Anat was the inspiration for the Grecian goddess of war, Athena.