Female "King" Ruled in Canaan, Carving Suggests

A plaque found in the ancient Canaanite city-state of Beth-Shemesh bears a figure that could be the first known depiction of the mysterious ruler known as the Mistress of the Lionesses, archaeologists announced in April 2009.

Although the tablet bears no writing, the figure's hairstyle and the fact that it is holding lotus flowers suggests it is a woman.

Photograph courtesy Dr. Zvi Lederman, Tel Beth-Shemesh Excavations