of Ephesus, we must not forget the importance of oriental strands in the tapestry. We shall argue that at least one element derives distinctively from the interior of Asia Minor—that of mother goddess cults. In contrast to other parts of the ancient world, the primary deities in Asia Minor were female; and the maternal aspect was glorified in a manner almost unknown farther west. By 5000 B.C.E. Anatolian artists modeled heavyset mother goddesses from clay and depicted