The kneeling figure holds a drum or tambourine. The delicate shape of the body and the hair hanging behind the back suggest the representation of a female. The function of the piece is unclear. It reminds us of the Egyptian figurines of servants which were to accompany their owner in the afterlife. Comparable figurines of musicians have been found, but none with a similar round drum. This instrument only arrived in Egypt from the Near East under the Eighteenth Dynasty, when the figures of servants had already gone out of style. The Egyptians regarded this type of drum as suitable for female musicians; however, in the Egyptian representations the players are dancing, rather than sitting, so it is difficult to perceive Egyptian influence in this small ivory figurine. Perhaps the excavator, C.F.A. Schaeffer was right when he suggested that this may be a depiction of the Syrian goddess Anat, described in a text found at Ugarit as a tambourine player.
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