Sample Sources

The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.

Ancient mosaic depicting a partially damaged figure in armor, with a helmet, shield, and sword in the background. Some areas of the mosaic are missing.

Mosaic Panel, Meroth

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Line drawing of an irregular shape with rectangular and semicircular shapes within it.

The Sanhedriyya Tomb Complex

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A stone chamber with carved shelves and niches along the walls, showing signs of age and wear.

Villa Torlonia Catacombs, Rome

Main Hallway. Courtesy Fondazione per i Beni Culturali Ebraici in Italia, www.beniculturaliebraici.it.

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Seven ancient clay oil lamps are arranged on a white surface. Each lamp has a round body, a central hole, a small handle, and a spout, with varying shades of brown and beige and some visible decorative patterns.

Darom Lamps

Courtesy of the Hecht Museum Collection, University of Haifa, Israel. Photo: Shay Levi.

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A carved bone figurine with a long body, stylized arms, a detailed headdress, and simple facial features.

Ivory Objects

Child’s Doll. Photo: Yael Yolovitch, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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Ancient bronze coin with a palm tree on one side and grape clusters on the other; both sides feature Paleo-Hebrew script and decorative dotted borders.

Bar Kokhba Coin with Palm Tree and Grapes

Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

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Aerial view of the ruins of an ancient stone building with columns and walls partially standing, surrounded by scattered stones and greenery in the background.

Aerial View of Iraq el-Amir Castle

This palace was originally surrounded by a large reflective pool, erroneously interpreted by Josephus as a protective moat. The ruins consist of a monumental rectangular building constructed with…

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Painting of people, including soldiers, fighting on top of and next to a stone-walled building. Flames and smoke emerge from parts of the building, and winged angels appear in the top left.

Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

Hayez’s painting imagines the chaos and violence of the destruction of the Temple by the Roman army in 70 CE. The theft of the menorah in the foreground and the flight of a group of angels at the top…

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A fragment of an ancient, weathered scroll with rows of Hebrew text. The parchment edges are torn and uneven, showing signs of age and wear.

Commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab)

Among the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be discovered, this text comprises a continuous interpretation of the first two chapters of the book of Habakkuk, reinterpreting them in reference to the…

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Ancient stone tablet with engraved Greek inscription in several lines, showing clear and well-defined letters.

Proseuchē Inscription, Schedia, Egypt

Proseuchai (“houses of prayer” or “prayer halls”) seem to have served as focal points for Jewish communities in Egypt in antiquity. Inscriptions from the proseuchai highlight the good standing of…

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A broken piece of pottery with ancient Hebrew script written in black ink across its surface.

Scribal Exercise

Part of the process of scribal training in antiquity involved writing abecedaries, or practice alphabets. This Hebrew abecedary was found at Qumran, the archaeological site associated with the Dead…

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A round, stone-lined pit with built-in stone steps leading down to a dirt floor. The structure is surrounded by rocks and sparse vegetation.

Round Mikveh, Gamla

This round mikveh was found near the Gamla synagogue in the Galilee. As in many mikvaot, seven steps lead down into the pool.

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