Sample Sources

The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.

A small, round ancient clay oil lamp with a wide opening, featuring a blackened spout with a fibrous wick inside.

Oil Lamp with Original Wick

Over two hundred terracotta lamps were found at Qumran, mostly in fragments. This lamp is 10 cm (4 in) long and has a large central hole for filling with oil and a wick made from palm fiber.

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Ancient mosaic featuring a structure with pillars and an arch flanked by two menorahs, each flanked by a shofar and shovel, with intricate geometric borders and some damaged sections.

y. Megillah 3:4, 74a

This floor mosaic from a synagogue in Beth Shean depicts menorahs to either side of a Torah shrine, each flanked by a shofar and incense shovel. This panel of the mosaic was likely located in front of…

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Ancient mosaic depicting three men in loincloths surrounded by grape clusters and leaves, with intricate patterns and vibrant colors.

Wine Floor Mosaic, Beth Shean

This floor mosaic from a synagogue in Beth Shean depicts men pressing grapes to make wine. Wine was drunk regularly, as it was safer than water. It was also used as a disinfectant for wounds, a dyeing…

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Five ancient ceramic bowls with inscriptions in a Semitic script, written in concentric circles. Some bowls feature geometric shapes and human-like figures.

Incantation Bowls

Incantation bowls, also known as magic bowls or demon traps, were common in Babylonia in the fifth and sixth centuries. The clay bowls were usually inscribed with a Babylonian Aramaic text in a spiral…

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Illustration of a two-story ancient stone house with a courtyard. Two people sit on a platform in the courtyard, and another stands outside the house with a donkey. Below is a labeled floor plan of the house, platform, and street, with a scale for reference.

Khirbet Shema House

Dr. Leen Ritmeyer, Ritmeyer Archaeological Design.

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Several stone buildings with multi-layered stone ruins between them.

Robinson’s Arch

Robinson’s Arch. © ArtMediaFactory / Shutterstock.

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A weathered stone fragment featuring two carved lions surrounding a triangular roof with an arched opening.

Nabratein Synagogue Details

Decorative Fragment. © Todd Bolen / BiblePlaces.com.

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A colorful ancient fresco depicts a temple with columns, a large menorah, a priest, and various other figures, along with several animals, all framed by decorative borders.

The Wilderness Tabernacle, Dura-Europos

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Ancient mosaic floor with birds and geometric designs, surrounded by stone ruins and ropes marking the area.

Mosaic Floor Panel, ‘En Gedi

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A large ancient rock-cut tomb with pillars and carvings set into a cliff, surrounded by grassy ground and stone walls, with small stone buildings and trees in the background.

Tomb of the Kings

Tomb of the Kings. The largest and most ornate tomb in Jerusalem, the Tomb of the Kings was used by Queen Helena of Adiabene and her family for their final interment in…

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A collection of eight ancient, light-colored vessels of various shapes and sizes, including bowls, cups, and dishes.

Chalkstone Wares

Chalkstone Assemblage. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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A group of ancient cone-shaped loom weights and disc-shaped spindle whorls with holes in the center.

Loom Weights and Spindle Whorls

Courtesy of the Hecht Museum Collection, University of Haifa, Israel. Photo: Shay Levi.

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