Molly Drake
Oxford PhD Student
Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
My doctoral project focuses on the materiality of Judean Pillar Figurines [JPFs]. These are humanoid figurines in the shape of women which have been recovered from ancient Judah, dated to the 8th-6th centuries BCE. My project takes a materialist approach to the figurines, looking at how clay is understood in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. Clay’s association with creation, decay, and life cycles will bring a fresh perspective to the questions surrounding the JPFs’ significance and function.
