**1. Previous Interpretations**

Previous interpretations have taken the fronton motifs and palmette pillars as symbols of a goddess. Michaël Jasmin related the crescent and columns to a fertility goddess of the Astarte or Asherah type, who is usually represented by the crescent, dove, lion and date palm (Jasmin 2013, p. 397). Silvia Schroer has pointed out that the female aspect of the moon is enhanced by the palmette volutes, an abbreviated form of the date palm, the tree or palmette pillars substituting for the figure of the (naked) goddess (Schroer 2018, pp. 68, 270–71, 284). Ziony Zevit noted the uniqueness of the punctures pattern within the crescent, where a disc is usually found (Zevit 2001, p. 337). Zevit's observation is important, since it supports the idea, that the dots in the crescent shape held special significance within the imagery, not just a mere decorative device or the outcome of fear of empty space. William Dever postulated that the dots represent the stars of the Pleiades, astronomical symbols closely associated with "Asherah/Astarte" and later with Tanit (Dever 2016, p. 195). However, the dots count numbers more than the 7 stars of the Pleiades. Othmar Keel and Christoph Uehlinger suggested that the dots may represent rain drops, in accordance with the Northern Syrian tradition of depicting rain (Keel and Uehlinger 1992, p. 184).
