Similar to the figure of a bull, the ibex was believed to ward off evil. It was also associated with the rites of the sacred hunt and was sacrificed in honor of a deity, which in turn guaranteed the well-being of the community. Images of these ibexes were frequently stylized into decorative motifs, such as the row of heads on this fragmentary architectural frieze.
Fragment of a frieze carved with ibex heads
Timna, first half of 1st century BCE
Alabaster
LTS1992.6.254