Ivory Pomegranate Sculpture with a Bird Sitting on Top
Iron Age II, 9th–8th Century BCE
Image

Engage with this Source
Related Guide
Visual Culture and Performing Arts in Ancient Israel
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.
Related Guide
Provenance and Dating of Artifacts from the Biblical Period
Artifacts help historians reconstruct the past, using layers of excavation to establish the chronology of the sites they excavate.
Related Guide
Carvings from Ancient Israel
Ornate carvings in bone and ivory were used for decoration in both special and everyday objects in ancient Israel.
You may also like

Ivory Cloisonné Relief with the Egyptian God Horus
This leaf-shaped ivory relief from Samaria depicts Horus as a child sitting on a lotus flower. The lotus was a symbol of regeneration, and because, in Egyptian belief, each pharaoh was considered an…

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…

Ivory Spoon
This spoon from Hazor has a wide handle intricately incised on its front with a sequence of palmettes curving upward instead of the more common downward-turning volutes. The spoon’s use is unclear. It…

Ivory Goat Inlay
In this ivory inlay, found in Jerusalem (Ophel), incised lines indicate the goat’s fur, especially around the neck, and deeper lines detail the legs. The goat’s feet are all very close together…

Ivory Box with Ritual Scene
This ritual scene was carved twice on a cylindrical ivory box from Hazor, about 2.7 inches high and 2.2 inches in diameter (7 × 6 cm). A kneeling man raises his hands in prayer toward a stylized tree…