The below url takes one to an article arguing that Baal's pillar and
Asherah's pillar may be in origin Egyptian pillar-gods who were assimilated
to Phoenician and Canaanite gods in the course of the Late Bronze Age when
Egypt ruled the area for some 400 years. It will be argued that Baal's
pillar is derived from Osiris' Djet/Tet pillar, while Asherah's pillar is
derived from Hathor's pillar.