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Figurine of calf and shrine, Ashkelon, 1600 to 1550 BCE. Some of the non-anthropomorphic figurines found at Israelite sites had religious significance, especially model shrines (such as the Model…
This drawing is a modern reconstruction of the ground plan of an open-air sanctuary. Situated in northern Israel, it consisted of an enclosure about 65 feet (20 m) in diameter surrounded by stones…
This bull figurine, 7 × 5 inches (17.5 cm × 12 cm), was cast in bronze with considerable detail. It combines highly realistic features—horns and ears, genitalia, legs and hooves—with more stylized…
The top register of this bulla from Tel ‘Eton shows a grazing doe, carved deeply into the seal with a high degree of craftsmanship. Images of grazing or browsing horned animals were popular, appearing…
Some lamelekh impressions, like this one from Lachish, have a four-winged scarab beetle as their central image. The scarab beetle was an important mythological symbol in Egypt, associated with Khepri…
This seal from Tel Dan, made of red limestone, shows a driver and two other people in a horse-drawn Assyrian-style chariot. Chariot scenes, uncommon in Israel, are frequent in Assyrian and Egyptian…
The battle between a wild bull and a lion, which are among the most powerful animals, is a common theme in ancient Near Eastern art. In this panel from Samaria, the lion’s claws are embedded in the…
Sphinxes are among the most ubiquitous images on Iron Age Levantine ivories. The sphinx combines the features of several animals; it has the head of a human, the wings of an eagle, and the body of a…
Menahem Shemi was a member of the Land of Israel movement, a group of artists who, in the 1920s, broke with the conventions of the Bezalel School to create a modern art of Jewish revival. In The…
Engraved tridacna (clam) shells like this one from Arad seem to have been used as cosmetic containers in the Near East and Mediterranean worlds in the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE. This…
