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.
Model Shrine from Khirbet Keiyafa
This limestone model of a shrine, around 8 inches wide, 10 inches long, and 14 inches high (20 cm × 25 cm × 35 cm), was painted red. The façade features a triple-recessed door frame, above which is a…
Bird Figurine
In this terra-cotta dove figurine from Beth Shemesh, 4 inches (10 cm) long, care was taken with the shape of the head and body and in showing the tail by painted lines. Yet there are no feet and the…
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Even after the mourning period was over, when the flat was finally empty and my father and I locked the door and were alone together, we hardly talked to one another. Except about the most essential…
Bulla of Shebanyahu Son of Samak, with Grazing Doe
The top register of this bulla from Tel ‘Eton shows a grazing doe, carved deeply into the seal with a high degree of craftsmanship. Images of grazing or browsing horned animals were popular, appearing…
The Island on Bird Street
Freddy laid the soldier on the floor and said, “Now that I have a rifle and bullets, I’ll join the uprising tonight. But Henryk will stay with you. His wound isn’t serious. The bullet can be gotten…
Ivory-openwork Panel with a Battle between a Wild Bull and a Lion
The battle between a wild bull and a lion, which are among the most powerful animals, is a common theme in ancient Near Eastern art. In this panel from Samaria, the lion’s claws are embedded in the…
Kriza
The Woman:I married him and he never gave me any trouble. His mother, she lives with us here. This house is his mother’s house. When we are there, together, in the other room, she lights candles here…
Coin with Gorgon/Lion and Bovine
This is the earliest known Jewish coin. It may have been minted in Philistia for the province of Yehud, before Yehud began to mint its own coins. The front depicts the head of a gorgon, a Greek…
Ceramic Chalice from Arad
The chalice, covered with red slip (a thin mixture of red clay and water), consists of a tall, hollow stand and a separate bowl; both parts are decorated with downturned petals. Together they stand…
Goblet-shaped Cosmetic Container
This goblet-shaped cosmetic container of white limestone is from Hazor. The footed base, midsection with festoon pattern, and deep bowl with upper frieze of alternating checkerboard pattern form three…
Wasp Hive in Cow’s Skull
Wasp hive in cow’s skull, Golan Heights. The hive is reminiscent of the swarm of bees and honey that Samson found in a lion’s carcass, which became the subject of his riddle (Judges 14:8).
In Praise of Normality
The attempt I have made to realign these concepts does not, of course, do away with the conflicts, tensions, cultural struggles, and constant inputs and reequilibrations of problems of identity. All…