THE WOMAN AT THE WINDOW 

 Ivory plaque: the Woman at a Window

Nobody really knows what the ivory 'woman at the window' plaques were about, but there are plenty of educated guesses.

The most common is that the woman represented the power and fertility of the female - in humans and in Nature. This power was represented by the Assyrian goddess Inanna/Ishtar, but all major ancient religions had a goddess figure who embodied

• the power of women to generate human life 
• their role as fierce protectresses of the family
• their duty to act as a steadying influence or 'wise woman'.

The Woman at the Window may have been a priestess who acted as an oracle, giving sacred advice to people who consulted her.

The Bible, always hostile to other religions, links the goddess and the 'woman at the window' with prostitution, and claims that the priestesses of the fertility religions practised prostitution as part of their religious duties. (For more information, go to Archaeology - Ancient Religions)

The Bible describes Jezebel appearing at the window just before her death. Scholars suggest that this obliquely suggests she took part in ceremonies related to sacred prostitution.

There may, however, be another explanation for this idea of 'sacred prostitution':

• The worship of Yahweh was always carried out by male priests.
• The fertility religions used both priests and priestesses.
• Priestesses of fertility religions lived independent of their original families, and governed themselves - much as modern-day nuns do. Prostitutes in the ancient world also lived independently.
• This female independence was abhorrent to the exclusively male priesthood of Yahweh, who urged women to be integrated members of a family rather than free agents.
• In attack mode, the priest of Yahweh equated the independence of priestesses with that of prostitutes, describing priestesses as sacred prostitutes.

This does not deny that sexual activity was common in rural communities at planting and harvest time - what the old Irish priests used to call "fockin' in the fields". The Book of Ruth makes this fairly obvious - see Bible Women, Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz for the double entendres in the story of Ruth and Boaz when they lie together on the threshing floor.

And certainly the sexual potency of a king was considered an important element in his ability to rule. Bathsheba was only able to steal the throne for her son Solomon when King David was no longer able to have sex with the lovely though unfortunately named Abishag. See Bible women, Bathsheba for this story. 

But the sexual act as a common part of formal temple worship? This may simply have been an accusation thrown by the priests of Yahweh at their rivals in the temples of Baal and Asherah.  

Whatever the truth, the biblical writers certainly detested Jezebel, who stood for everything they hated: political power in the hands of a woman who promoted worship of the gods of Nature and Fertility.