Evidence for the material culture of ancient Israel comes mostly from artifacts and archaeology and attests to the influence of the great empires that surrounded Israel.
Idol manufacturing, Thebes, Egypt, 15th century BCE. This is a modern artist’s rendering of a mural from the tomb of the vizier Rekh-me-re. It shows craftsmen making idols, much like the idol…
This detail appears on the right side of a pithos (storage jar) from Kuntillet Ajrud. The two Bes figures on the lower left are unrelated to the lyre player in the upper right. Bes was a minor…