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Exodus
“I besieged and conquered Samaria and led away as booty 27,290 inhabitants of it. I formed from among them a contingent of 50 chariots and made those remaining assume their (present) statuses.” – Khorsabad Annals Annals of Sargon II Sargon II The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and […]
David, king of Israel, had committed egregious crimes. He had coveted the wife of his loyal servant Uriah the Hittite, taken her to his royal chambers, impregnated her and sent her beloved husband to his death. He had stopped at nothing to cover his tracks and to conceal his felonies. But even the high […]
Two bronze scepters and a bronze incense burner that all employ representations of either pomegranates or of poppy seed pods, found at Tel Nami in 1989. They date to the 13th century B.C.E. or perhaps to the early 12th century BCE. Pomegranate Scepters and Incense Stand with Pomegranates Found in Priest’s Grave, Michal Artzy, BAR […]
The mummy of Merneptah was discovered in 1898 along with eighteen other mummies in the tomb of Amenhotep II, although it is believed that Merneptah was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings. The mummy was unwrapped and identified in Cairo by Dr. G. Elliott Smith on July 8, 1907. Merneptah ruled Egypt ca. […]
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Code of Hammurabi. The Louvre. Code of Hammurabi Detail The Code of Hammurabi treats only a small portion of the legal material; it is a collection of reform laws that were probably appended to long-established legal cases. In this respect, none of the legal […]
Overview From Egypt to Sinai (Exodus 5-24, 32; Numbers), Christine Hayes, Open Yale Courses (Transcription), 2006. Biblical History- From Abraham to Moses, c. 1850-1200 BCE, Steven Feldman, COJS. Primary sources Exodus 5-24 Exodus 32 Exodus 19-20- The Revelation at Sinai, Texts and Traditions, ed. Lawrence H. Schiffman, Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken NJ, 1998. Artifacts Ugaritic […]
David Playing the Harp North French Miscellany, Northern France, c.1278-98. David playing the harp This 13th-century French manuscript shows a popular contemporary subject in both Christian and Jewish art- King David playing his harp. He is traditionally the author of the Psalms, which were to be sung with musical accompaniment. Though it is a Hebrew […]
Moses in a Festival Prayer Book Southern Germany Moses receiving the law This decorated word panel shows Moses holding the Tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai (on left of the image) while Aaron and the Israelites stand in prayer. Trumpets pierce the clouds and announce the solemnity of the occasion. Aaron, brother of Moses […]
Egyptian text which bears resemblance to the Book of Proverbs Amenemope- Give thine ears, hear what is said, give thy mind to interpret them; to put them in your heart is good. Bow down thine ear and hear the words of the wise and apply thine heart unto my knowledge (xxii. 17). Remove not the […]
Discovered in the 1820s, Papyrus Anastasi I, a letter by an Egyptian scribe, gives insight into the geography of the Levant in the 2nd millennium. Palestine was so well known to the inhabitants of the Nile country that anyone who was lacking in detailed knowledge of it was reckoned to be lacking in proper education. […]