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.
Judicial flogging in Egyptian painting, Beni Hasan, Egypt, Twelfth Dynasty (1938–1759 BCE). A culprit is held down by three men as the court overseer watches. Biblical law included provisions for…
Figurine of Male Deity, Ugarit, Late Bronze Age, 1550 to 1200 BCE. Seven and a half inches tall (19 cm), this figurine probably once brandished a weapon in its raised hand. It is identifiable as a…
About a thousand items that had accumulated over time were found in the repository of Cave 25 in the Ketef Hinnom cemetery. They included jewelry, ivory and bone inlays, arrowheads, tools, and a large…