Monkey Vessel

A vessel with a monkey covering its eyes found by Moshe Dothan’s excavation at Nahariya. Pictured here is the top of a vessel from Nahariya, which is adorned with a monkey. His feet rest on the shoulder of the vessel; his tail wraps around the neck of the vessel; his knees stick out from the neck of the vessel; and his face is attached to the spout. The neck and spout of the vessel in effect form the monkey’s body. A paw covers the monkey’s eyes, just where the liquid is poured out of the vessel. This Canaanite see-no-evil monkey is unrelated to the Oriental variety.

“A Jerusalem Celebration—Of Temples and Bamot,” BAR Sep 1977.