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.
The Flight of the Dove
The light passes through the curtain and brightens it, spreading a dull glow over the night-table and drawing a single shining line over the edge of the ashtray. The woman’s one eye follows it until…
On the Shore, Tel Aviv, Winter 1974
A crocodile cloud swallowed a cloud-cloud.
All is clogged
and where did the war go?
The pier is painted red and yellow
with the inscription: Tel Aviv.
The drums of the depths are indifferent.
In the…
Tel Dan Stela
Tel Dan Stela, late 9th century BCE. This Aramaic inscription of Hazael, king of Damascus, found at the city of Dan in northern Israel, mentions a king of the “House of David,” meaning a king from…
Pillared House
This drawing and the following replica of a pillared house are composites of many excavated houses from the Iron Age, 1200 to 586 BCE; none has been discovered standing. The images show domestic…
Hamsa-like Hand in Khirbet el-Kom (Makkedah) Tomb
This small hand, carved in stone with downward-pointing fingers, was probably apotropaic—that is, meant to protect the person buried in the tomb where it was found. It was carved on a wall between the…
Seals of Various Sizes, Shapes, and Colors
Collections of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by David Harris.
Seal of Shelomit, with Two Men Flanking an Altar
This black stone seal, from the City of David in Jerusalem, depicts two bearded men with their hands raised in a gesture of worship, flanking an altar or pedestal. The crescents on the altar or…
Ivory Stopper Shaped Like an Ibex Head
The stopper is perforated at the bottom so that liquids, probably perfumes, can be poured from the jar through the male ibex’s mouth. The horns curl tightly back to the neck, perhaps to prevent them…
The Story of Bruria
“Ma’aseh Bruria,” a group creation compiled from Talmudic and Midrashic sources.
Conceived, originated and researched by: Gabriella…
Coin with Shofar/Falcon
The front of this coin depicts an animal horn, probably a shofar (parallel lines across the horn suggest horns of rams and some other animals). If this is a shofar, it likely signifies praying to God…
Seven-spouted Ceramic Oil Lamp
Its multiple (seven) spouts and pedestal make this lamp from the sanctuary area of Tel Dan unusual. Lamps like this could be as tall as 9 inches (23 cm) and as wide as 6.7 inches (17 cm) in diameter…
Silver Jewelry and Beads
This is an assemblage of jewelry that was deposited in a burial cave in the Ketef Hinnom cemetery in Jerusalem (see Tombs from Ketef…