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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…
The drumhead of this Phoenician-style terra-cotta figurine from Shikmona (south of Haifa) is recessed, suggesting that the drum had only a single head. Figurines like this are typically found in…
This flute from Tel Goren at En Gedi, 4 inches long and .67 inches wide (10 × 2 cm), is made from the hollowed shaft of an animal bone. The hole near the center was probably for blowing air across the…
Large conch-type shells can be used to make music by blowing through closed lips into an opening cut at the narrow end of the shell. Because the spiral-shaped cavity of each shell is distinct, each…
This pair of bronze cymbals from a Canaanite stratum in Megiddo has a bronze loop set into the center of each cymbal for a finger. The Bible often refers to Israelites using cymbals that undoubtedly…
Avigdor Stematsky, a founder of the New Horizons art group, which, beginning in 1942, sought to break away from the artistic conventions established by the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, helped…
On this clay plaque from Dan, from the Late Bronze (Canaanite) period, a man is playing a lute while dancing. The position of the performer’s legs shows that he is doing a lively dance.
These hollow, spool-shaped terra-cotta objects from Beth Shemesh would hold one or more pellets (often small pebbles) that when shaken would produce a sound. They have been considered babies’ toys…
Musicians on ritual stand, Ashdod, late 11th or early 10th century BCE. Music and dance played an important role in Israel and the ancient Near East in both daily life and special occasions such as…
Rubin was a member of what is known as the Land of Israel movement, a group of artists who, in the 1920s, broke with the conventions of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts. They drew on the ideas…
