Tombstone (Padua)

The process of ritual purification of a dead body, known as taharah, involves careful cleaning of the corpse. Prior to being dressed in a white cotton shroud, the body of the deceased is washed, the…

Soldier slaying captive, Khorsabad, late eighth century BCE. The captive is probably a Samarian seized during Sargon’s conquest of the city. From a relief in the palace of Sargon at Dur-Sharrukin…