This close-up of the name 'Israel,' written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, comes from an inscription written on granite during the reign of the Egyptian king Merneptah (1213-1203 BCE). This is the earliest preserved inscriptional evidence of Israel and it is mentioned together with three other defeated states in Canaan (Gezer, Yanoam, and Ashkelon). The hieroglyphic symbols used designate a foreign people group, as opposed to a city (as the words for Ashkelon, Gezer, and Yano'am are marked), suggesting that in the late 12th century Israel had achieved a specific identity as a people but had not yet developed into a fixed political entity or state.
The Merneptah Stele, pictured here, is an inscription written in hieroglyphs on granite during the reign of the Egyptian king Merneptah (1213-1203 BCE). It contains the earliest preserved inscriptional evidence of the name Israel (and perhaps therefore the Israelites). In the inscription 'Israel' it is mentioned together with three other defeated states in Canaan (Gezer, Yanoam, and Ashkelon). The hieroglyphic symbols used designate a foreign people group, as opposed to a city (as the words for Ashkelon, Gezer, and Yano'am are marked), suggesting that in the late 12th century Israel had achieved a specific identity as a people but had not yet developed into a fixed political entity or state.
This wonderfully preserved papyrus, probably created around 1,200 BCE, is one of the longest papyri that has been preserved from ancient Egypt (it is almost 138 feet long). It is divided into three parts; this section is in the part describing the reign of Ramses III (1184-1153 BCE) and the internal civil conflict that was present in Egypt at the beginning of the 20th Dynasty (which lasted from 1186-1069 BCE). In part it describes his battles against the Peoples of the Sea. The text is written in hieratic, which is a cursive script that evolved from hieroglyphics (and was easier and quicker to write than the cumbersome symbols of hieroglyphics).
This slide shows the second monumental gateway (called by the Greek word for gateway, 'pylon') of the great mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu in Thebes. To the left is a relief showing Ramses leading enemy captives, including a row of Philistines, before Amun, the god of Thebes. On the right is a long hieroglyphic inscription in which Ramses describes the advance toward Egypt of an alliance of Sea Peoples who were defeated by Ramses (according to him).
This map was found to be part of the mosaic floor of a 6th century CE church in Madaba, Jordan (east of the Dead Sea), and includes this map of Byzantine Jerusalem. A broad, column-lined street runs from the north gate south through the center of the city (called a cardo, it is a common feature of Graeco-Roman cities). At the northern end of this street (the left of the picture) there is a monumental column in a public plaza. It is interesting that the modern Arab name for the Damascus Gate is Bab el-'Amud ("Gate of the Column"). At the center of the map you can see the church of the Holy Sepulchre with its yellowish dome. The Inscription at the top left of the map reads 'The Holy City of Jerusalem' (in Greek).
This map was found to be part of the mosaic floor of a 6th century CE church in Madaba, Jordan (east of the Dead Sea), and includes this map of Byzantine Jerusalem. A broad, column-lined street runs from the north gate south through the center of the city (called a cardo, it is a common feature of Graeco-Roman cities). At its northern end is the Damascus Gate. The Damascus Gate that we see today was built in the Ottoman period, but archaeologists have found a Hadrianic Gate beneath it (117-134 CE), and the Madaba Map, shown here, depicts its existence in the 6th century CE. It is interesting to note that the Arabic name for the Damascus Gate is Bab el-'Amud ('Gate of the Column'). Note the depiction of the northern gate and column in the Madaba Map.
Mamluk Architecture in the Old City of Jerusalem
The Mamluks (1250–1517 CE) introduced many unique styles of architecture to Jerusalem. The vaulted doorway pictured here is an example of a finely crafted recessed stone arch encased with a klebo design of interlaced stone blocks of dark and light colors.
This detail photograph is from the 'Sidonian Tomb,' so called because of an inscription that says that the deceased were members of a Sidonian colony living at Maresha. In this photograph we see paintings of animals from Egypt, along with their Greek names: a lynx (left), a porcupine (center), and perhaps a rhinoceros (right).
This photograph shows the entrance stairs leading down into the Sidonian Tomb at Maresha, so called because of an inscription that says that the deceased who were buried here were members of a Sidonian community in Maresha. The paintings on the walls show a hunting scene.
This detail photograph is from the 'Sidonian Tomb' at Maresha, so called because of an inscription that says that the deceased were members of a Sidonian colony at Maresha. In this photograph we see a painting of a horse-mounted hunter accompanied by a hunting dog spearing a leopard. The Greek inscription above the rider reads 'the white horse of the rider,' and the Greek word above the leopard says 'pardalos,' a variant of the Greek word for the animal ('pardalis').
This photograph shows the back wall of the Sidonian Tomb at Maresha, called the 'Sidonian' Tomb because of an inscription designates the tomb's deceased as members of a Sidonian colony living at Maresha. Each of the openings on the walls is a 'loculus,' which is where the bodies of the deceased were placed. There were 41 loculi in total.
This aerial photograph, looking southeast, shows the mountaintop fortress of Masada, located in the Judaean Desert, which rises 400 feet above the Dead Sea. King Herod (37-4 BCE) built two palaces on top, and the Northern Palace is visible here. Note the series of three rooms that descend from the top of the mountain and are built as if hanging on the cliffs. Masada was abandoned after his death, but rebels who escaped the Roman Army's attack on Jerusalem in 70 CE fled here and were later besieged. On the lower right side of the photo there is what looks like a sandy slope leading almost to the top of the mountain. This is the siege ramp that the Roman Army built over the course of two years (71-73 CE), with which they were finally able to take the fortress.
This aerial close-up of the northern outcropping of the mountaintop fortress of Masada shows the three-tiered Northern Palace that was built by King Herod the Great (37-4 BCE), as well as storehouses and a bath house (at the top of the photograph). The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that when the rebels who fled from Jerusalem arrived at Masada, they found still-edible wheat in the storerooms.
This aerial close-up of the northern outcropping of the mountaintop fortress of Masada shows the three-tiered Northern Palace that was built by Herod the Great, as well as storehouses and a bath house (at the top of the photograph). The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that when the rebels who fled from Jerusalem arrived at Masada, they found still-edible wheat in the storerooms
The large stones visible in the foreground of this picture are catapult stones that were used in the Roman siege of the Judaean desert fortress of Masada (in 73 CE). They are obviously very large and very heavy, and were made by the Roman soldiers when they arrived at Masada and began the siege that marked the end of the Great Revolt.
This photograph shows the synagogue within the fortress of Masada, which is located in the Judaean Desert (note the Dead Sea in the top right of the picture). At the end of the Jewish revolt against Rome in 70 CE, some of the rebels who were part of a group called the Zealots, fled Jerusalem to the mountaintop fortress of Masada. They either refurbished a previously-existing synagogue or turned a room into a synagogue, building benches along the walls and installing a small inner room to serve as a genizah (storage room for used or damaged scrolls). Two pits dug into the floor of the small room yielded two scrolls, one of Deuteronomy and one of Ezekiel. Fragments of other scrolls were found nearby. Some of the fragments appear to have been written in the same scribal tradition as texts found in the Qumran caves.
The areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea have played a pivotal role in the history of the ancient world. On the northern coast, from west to east, we encounter the regions of Spain, France, Italy, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea. On the southern coast we find Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The land of Israel/Palestine is on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean.
This photograph shows some of the common pottery from the Middle Bronze I period (2,000-1,900 BCE). The basin-shaped vessel in the foreground center with the four pinched corners is an ancient lamp. Oil would be put inside and wicks would run through the pinched corners.
This photograph shows Montfort Castle ('mountain castle' in Latin), which was built by the Teutonic Order (a German order patterned after the Knights Templar) in the early 13th century. It is located in western Galilee protecting one of the local roads that ran from the port city of Acre to Damascus. The castle was surrendered to Baybars, the Sultan of Egypt, in 1271 CE.
Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III (Medinet Habu, Luxor, Egypt)
This image shows the burial-temple complex of Ramesses III (1186–1155 BCE), one of the last powerful Egyptian kings. The walls display an impressive array of inscriptions, hieroglyphics, and decorated reliefs. Some tell the story of the rise of the “Sea People” known as the “Peleshet.” These are the biblical Philistines, from which the modern term “Palestine” is derived. Ramesses inscriptions boast of victory over the Peleshet, but this probably includes more exaggeration than fact. Such boasting, at any rate, attests to the growing presence of sea-faring people into the eastern Mediterranean who sought to escape the economic crisis of the late Bronze Age. These “Sea People” ventured east and filled a power vacuum left by diminution of the Egyptians and Hittites.
This photograph shows modern Samaritans, one of whom is holding a Torah scroll, on Mt. Gerizim. The Samaritans still practice their religion in much the same way that ancient Jews practiced their religion prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. They slaughter lambs at Passover and burn parts of the sacrifice on a fire much as happened in the Jerusalem Temple courts. And the Samaritans of today still hold their religious festivals on Mt. Gerizim, near the archaeological ruins of their ancient Temple.
This aerial photograph looking north at Mt. Gerizim, which is located in the northern part of the Central Hill, shows the remains of the Samaritan Temple. The city of Shechem sat in the valley below (a portion of which can be seen on the right and side). Shechem's name was changed to Neapolis ('New City') in the late 1st century CE, and that name is still preserved in the modern Arabic name of the city, Nablus.
Nahal Mishmar: Chalcolithic bronze hoard
These copper objects are part of one of the most famous hoards of objects ever found in the region. The hoard consisted of over 400 items that were found hidden in a cave high in a cliff overlooking Nahal Mishmar, a seasonal river bed near En Gedi, in the Judaean Desert. The fine workmanship and uncommon use of the metal objects suggests that they had been taken from a cultic center, although their exact significance and use is unknown. The pottery found with them dated to 3,500 BCE, and some have suggested that the objects came from a Chalcolithic temple that was found 6 miles away. These objects were made using the 'lost wax' process, in which wax was carved into the shape of the artifact, encased in clay, and fired, causing the wax to melt and the clay to harden. Molten copper was then poured into the clay form.
This photograph of the modern city of Nazareth, in Lower Galilee, shows the Church of the Annunciation, which was originally built in the 4th century CE by Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine. It stands over the place where, according to Catholic tradition, Mary stood when an angel announced to her that she was pregnant with Jesus as a result of God's divine intervention. The current building is from the 1960s but it stands over archaeological remains of a Crusader church and other ancient structures.
This 6 inch-high clay figurine dates to the Late Neolithic Age (6,000-5,000 BCE), which is the same time that the earliest baked clay vessels were being made. It is the only complete one of its kind from this period, although fragments have been found elsewhere. Its interpretation is contested - for instance, some scholars think that the figurine is nude; others that the deep lines around the shoulders indicate some kind of garment. Its significance and use are also debated - was it used for religious purposes (and if so, how?), or was it nothing more than a child's toy? Figurines, often depicting naked females, are well known from later periods and have often been understood to be associated with fertility rites, whether for human or agricultural fertility.
This bronze bull was found on a hilltop southwest of Mt. Gilboa, all the way at the northern end of the central hill. When the site was excavated, excavators found an elliptical wall, 70 feet in diameter, inside of which was a large, roughly hewn stone that was 4 feet long, 3 feet high, and 1.75 feet thick. Next to the large stone were some paving stones. Nearby was a piece of folded bronze that had a handle attached and a square fragment of pottery that might have been part of a square-based incense burner like those found at Beit Shean, Megiddo, and Taanach. The excavator interpreted the wall as a temenos (i.e., a sacred enclosure), the bronze fragment as a mirror, and the large stone as an altar. The placement of the site and the combination of the above evidence also led him to conclude that the bull figure had been used at this site and that it was an early Israelite open-air high place, or bamah. Early Israelite bull worship is known from the Bible (Exodus 32), as well as in the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Iron Age II (1 Kings 12:28-33; 2 Kings 10:29). Other scholars have challenged these conclusions, saying that the evidence is too slim to conclude that it was a shrine, let alone that it was an Israelite shrine.
Negev Desert: Middle Bronze Age I Architecture
This photograph shows a simple one-room 'round house' in the Negev Desert that was built around 2,000 BCE. The pillar in the middle of the room supported the roof. It seems that they were used only for sleeping quarters: all cooking ovens and other small installations were found outside the rooms. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that these houses were only used on a seasonal basis by pastoral groups: no cultivated grains were found in soil samples and no burials were found.
Negev Desert: Middle Bronze Age I Architecture - detail
This photograph shows a reconstruction of how the roof was probably built on a Round House. Wooden beams from the trunk of a nearby tamarisk tree were laid like spokes radiating from the central pillar to the outer wall, and broad, flat stones were laid on top and then covered with plaster. Archaeologists found numerous flat stones like these and patches of plaster in the debris of every house that they excavated. Charred remains of wooden beams were found lying in the radiating position in several houses.
This photograph shows Nimrud's Castle, which sits on top of a steep hill in the northern Golan Heights, underneath Mt. Hermon. It guarded one of the roads from Tyre to Damascus. This slide looks southwest; in the background is the Huleh Valley and the hills of Upper Galilee. It is unclear when this fort was built, but it was part of the area's defenses during both Crusader and Muslim control of the area. In 1187 it was the site of a large battle between Saladin and Baldwin III, the king of Jerusalem.
This photograph shows a close-up of the fortifications around Nimrod's Castle, including the main defensive wall and its rounded towers. The castle is located in the modern-day northern Golan Heights, on the southern slopes of Mt. Hermon, and guards the route from Tyre to Damascus. Major additions to the fortress were made in 1229 CE under the Ayyubid dynasty to guard against an invasion of Damascus by the Christian Crusaders. The view looks northeast.
Nimrud/Kalhu: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - detail 1 of 4
This detail photograph of the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (858-824 BCE) shows King Jehu, son of King Omri, kissing the ground at Shalmaneser's feet. The divine symbols of the god Shamash (the winged disk) and the goddess Ishtar (the star) hover above the scene. It is worth noting that although Shalmaneser was suggesting with this obelisk that his victory against Jehu and the other western rulers was complete, he retreated from the area after exacting tribute and did not return to the west during the remainder of his reign.
Nimrud/Kalhu: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - detail 2 of 4
This detail photograph of the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (858-824 BCE) shows an inscription (at the top, in cuneiform script), part of which reads: "The tribute of Jehu (Iaua), son of Omri (Humri); I received from him silver, gold, a golden saplu bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king, and wooden [meaning unknown]." The people below the inscription are servants bringing these precious objects to the king. Though we cannot know if their attire was representative of Israelite dress, it is noteworthy that they, like Jehu, are dressed differently than other people on the obelisk and that their dress was meant to mark them as being Levantines. (Compare them with depictions of Shalmaneser and his court.)
Nimrud/Kalhu: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - detail 3 of 4
This detail photograph of the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (858-824 BCE) shows an inscription (at the top, in cuneiform script) that reads, in part, 'The tribute of Jehu (Iaua), son of Omri (Humri); I received from him silver, gold, a golden saplu bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king, and wooden [meaning unknown].' The people below the inscription are servants bringing these precious objects to the king. Though we cannot know if their attire was representative of Israelite dress, it is noteworthy that they, like Jehu, are dressed differently than other people on the obelisk and that their dress was meant to mark them as being Levantines. (Compare them with depictions of Shalmaneser and his court.)
Nimrud/Kalhu: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - detail 4 of 4
Nimrud/Kalhu: Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - overview
The Black Obelisk of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (858-824 BCE) was carved on all four sides and five registers of reliefs illustrate the obeisance of four rulers from Shalmaneser's western campaigns. It is important for the history of Israel/Palestine because it is one of the few archaeological finds that bears directly on the Biblical narrative, as one of the conquered rulers is Jehu, son of Omri.
This six-sided prism of baked clay preserves the annals of Sennacherib, who was the king of Assyria from 704-681 BCE. It was written around 689 BCE in the Akkadian language (and cuneiform script). The text contains the records of Sennacherib's eight military campaigns, and includes a reference to the campaign against Hezekiah, king of Judah, in order to reclaim the tribute that he owed to Assyria. Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem and Judah is preserved in the biblical books of 2 Kings (18:13ff) and Isaiah (36:1ff). According to the Prism, Sennacherib's campaign against Hezekiah led to his submission; according to 2 Kings 19:8ff, the mission was without success.
Nebi Samuel
These hills are part of the northern Central Hill of Palestine. This view shows the valley of Liban, which is in the region that was Samaria in antiquity, and the modern village of Sawiya (on the far hill). The modern road follows the ancient route to Shechem. The valley in the center of the photograph creates an open flat space between the mountains, which is naturally used for agriculture (note that the village is located on the ridge of the hill, not to take away from the valuable and rare agricultural land).
This 12 inch-high figurine depicts a female figure seated on a stool and holding a milk churn on her head. The milk churn is a miniature replica of ceramic churns known from this period. It was found together with several other apparently ritual objects, and that information, combined with the accentuated sexual organs, has led the excavator of the site to suggest that the figure may represent a form of Ashtaroth as the goddess of flocks and milk. Note the decorative red lines that adorn the figure, which are a common feature in many vessels from this age.
Palestine at the end of the 19th century CE: Map
This map shows the number of Arab villages on the eve of the arrival of the first Zionist colonies in the late 1800s. As you can see, Palestine was widely and fairly densely populated, which conflicts with Zionist claims about the land being largely empty. Note, however, the less populated areas.
Palestine During the Reign of the Hasmonaeans: Map
This map shows the expansion of the Hasmonaean kingdom in the period between 160 and 76 BCE. The capital of the kingdom was always in Judaea, colored light blue. The Hasmonaean ruler Jonathan (160-142 BCE) added the yellow portions; his brother Simon (142-134 BCE) added the red portions; Simon's son, Hyrcanus I (134-104 BCE) added the light blue portions outside of Judaea; Hyrcanus's son, Aristobulus I (104-103 BCE) added the dark purple regions in Galilee; and Aristobulus' brother, Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BCE), who expanded the kingdom to its greatest extent (the red line), added the light purple areas.
This map of Israel/Palestine in the time of Jesus shows the locations of Bethlehem and Nazareth, the two central sites associated with the birth of Jesus. Note also the anachronism in the previous statement: the region was not called 'Palestine' until a hundred years later, and was not called 'Israel' until more than 2,000 years later. Nazareth is in Galilee and Bethlehem is on the Central Hill, a few miles south of Jerusalem.
Pastoral scenery in the hills of Judaea, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem
Shepherds and flocks of sheep, as pictured here, are frequent themes in the Hebrew Bible – David, who’s native town was Bethlehem was a Shepherd. Goats, sheep, and shepherds also comprise the socio-economic context in some Gospel stories.
Persian Divisions of Israel/Palestine: Map
This maps shows the Persian divisions (also known as provinces, or pahva in Persian) of Israel/Palestine: Samaria, Judah, Idumaea, Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
This map shows the extent of the Persian Empire in 500 BCE. With a capital in Persepolis (down and to the right of the center of the map), they expanded their borders all the way into India in the east and to Egypt, North Africa, and Macedonia in the west.
This map shows the eastern coastal cities of ancient Phoenicia (modern Lebanon) and its natural resources. These ancient cities were loosely connected and politically independent, but they shared a common Canaanite culture. During the Iron Age (1200–600 BCE), the Phoenicians amassed great wealth from seafaring trade, including cedar, glass, wine, cloth, and a famous purple dye from the Murex sea snail, native to the coastal waters. With a booming economy, they began to establish colonies across the Mediterranean, most important of which was Carthage in North Africa. Over time, Phoenician society dissolved with successive waves of invasions by the Babylonians, Persians, and then Greeks. This led to a shift in the center of Phoenician culture towards Carthage, until Rome vanquished the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War (146 BCE). Both the origin and demise of the Phoenicians is debated, but they seem to have assimilated with Greeks and Romans.
This is a portrait of an Ottoman soldier. He carries a long rifle and has a pouch for gunpowder. The hat on his head is called a tarboosh.
Shown here is a potter working from a shop in the southern part of the Central Hill, spinning a wheel to shape clay into a pot. Behind him, one can see finished examples before they are fired in a kiln to remove moisture, hardening the clay into durable ceramic vessels. Today, hand-crafted pottery is made essentially the same way as it was thousands of years ago. The development of ceramic vessels around 6000 BCE revolutionized the transportation of food and water, increased economic prosperity, and led to population growth. Because pottery was everywhere in the ancient world, and portrays various styles over time, scholars can use pottery found during archaeological digs to provide relative dates for layers or “strata” of habitation.
This artist's rendition of a cult structure at Horvat Qitmit in the eastern Negev Desert has been identified as being Edomite, and as dating to the 7th-6th centuries BCE, on the basis of its pottery. In addition to the pottery, many fragments of clay figures and life-sized statues were also found. The building to the upper right has three rectangular rooms that open to the south. The floors were found to be under a foot of ashes. In front of the building were two major open-air installations: a 3-foot by 4-foot platform standing within a walled court (upper left) and a circular stone enclosure within which was found a stone altar, a 3-foot-wide plaster-lined basin and a 3-foot-deep stone-lined pit. Nothing is known of how these features were used, but the presence of figures and figurines, as well as the ashes in the rectangular rooms, have led scholars to suggest that these structures served religious purposes. Note the open-air characteristics of this structure, which may point to the nomadic nature of its builders/users.
This photograph of the Qumran settlement, taken from a nearby cave, shows the marl terrace where caves 4 and 5 were found, the settlement, and the Dead Sea in the background.