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 floor with birds and geometric designs, surrounded by stone ruins and ropes marking the area.

Mosaic Floor Panel, ‘En Gedi

View Source

A collection of eight ancient, light-colored vessels of various shapes and sizes, including bowls, cups, and dishes.

Chalkstone Wares

Chalkstone Assemblage. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

View Source

A group of ancient cone-shaped loom weights and disc-shaped spindle whorls with holes in the center.

Loom Weights and Spindle Whorls

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

View Source

Two sides of an ancient coin: one side shows two joined cornucopias with a pomegranate in between, and the other side has an inscription in Paleo-Hebrew surrounded by a laurel wreath. The coin is aged and worn.

Coin of John Hyrcanus I

View Source

Ancient mosaic showing a person in a robe holding a lyre, with Hebrew letters above and part of an animal figure on the right side.

King David Floor Mosaic, Gaza

This floor mosaic from the Gaza synagogue depicts King David playing a lyre as wild animals listen placidly.

View Source

Map showing the division of Herod's kingdom among his sons: Archelaus (Samaria, Judaea, and Idumaea), Antipas (Galilee and Peraea), and Philip (Batanaea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis), with labeled cities and surrounding regions.

Map of Herod’s Kingdom and Division among His Sons, ca. 30 BCE

Herod’s Kingdom and Division among His Sons, ca. 30 BCE. Map by Bill Nelson.

View Source

Black and white floor plan of the ancient Jerusalem Temple, showing labeled areas such as the holy of holies, holy place, porch, altar, Women's Court, chambers, gates, colonnades, ramp, and stairs.

Herod’s Temple Complex

One of Herod’s greatest projects was the expansion and renovation of the Jerusalem Temple. The sanctuary itself was surrounded by storage rooms and living quarters for priests and stood within the…

View Source

A fragment of ancient, worn papyrus with faded Greek writing in black ink. The document is yellowed and torn in several places, with large missing sections and frayed edges.

Greek Letter from the Cave of Letters

This Greek letter, written on papyrus, was found in a collection of letters by Simeon Bar Kosibah, the leader of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and his associates. The letter is written by a man named…

View Source

Ancient stone steps built into a rocky structure, surrounded by rough stone walls, with mountains visible in the background under a clear sky.

Large Cistern, Qumran

The settlement at Qumran contained a number of cisterns, mikvaot, and pools and channels for water, suggesting a concern with purity (also reflected in sectarian texts found at the site), which…

View Source

Ancient worn and weathered stone relief featuring a menorah and other symbols against a plain background.

Relief from Synagogue, Ostia, Italy

This tablet would have decorated the synagogue’s Torah shrine. It depicts a menorah, a shofar, and the four plant species used on Sukkot.

View Source

Circular stone basin with layered stone walls, a base with a radial pattern, and a round opening at the bottom. A few rocks are scattered inside.

Winepress Installation

This is one of several winepresses found at Shivta, in the Negev, indicating that grapes were one of the main crops in the area.

View Source

A shallow, round clay bowl with an inscription in a Semitic script written in concentric circles surrounding a central drawing of a human-like figure.

Incantation Bowl for Divorce

This magic bowl from Mesopotamia requests a “divorce” from a demon. The Aramaic text contains multiple magical formulae and calls upon angels to aid the victim. An image of a demon appears in the…

View Source