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The masonry in the royal palace of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, is considered the finest example of ashlar masonry from the Iron Age. The blocks are cut so well that they fit together…
The rosette, impressed on a jar handle here, may have been a royal insignia during the last decades of the Judean monarchy, around the late seventh century BCE. It was found at Ramat Rahel, an…
In the ancient Near East, images of paired lions served as guardians at building entrances and on furniture, where these two figurines from Samaria were presumably placed. According to 1 Kings 10:19…
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…
Your son, Yehukal, sends his blessings for the welfare of Gedalyahu son of Elyair and for the welfare of your house. I bless you to YHWH. And now, behold my lord has done [ . . . ] May YHWH recompense…
A bath measure for the king.
Belonging to Shema servant of Jeroboam.
This is a modern artist’s illustration of a painting of a seated male in profile, perhaps an enthroned dignitary. The painting was made on a potsherd from Ramat Rahel. It measures around 5 × 3 inches…
Many of the seal impressions, with the inscription lamelekh “(Belonging, or pertaining) to the king,” followed by the name of a city, feature a two-winged figure, probably a winged sun disk…
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…
