Exodus
Hezekiah’s Tunnel, 701 BCE
One of the greatest waterworks of the ancient world, Hezekiah’s Tunnel was carved to bring water from one side of the city of Jerusalem to the other. It was part of the aqueduct tunnel system of underground Jerusalem. Hezekiah’s Tunnel was discovered by Edward Robinson in 1838. Robinson became the first man in modern times […]
Ramesses II Inscription, 1279-1212 BCE
A hieroglyphic inscription mentioning Pharaoh Ramesses II was found at Jaffa in the 1950’s. The inscription is part of the remains of a gateway which may have led to a pharaonic granary. Amarna Letter EA 294 mentions an Egyptian granary in Jaffa during the eighteenth dynasty. Ramesses II (also called Ramesses the Great) is often […]
Statue of Ramesses II, 1279-1212 BCE
Statue of Ramesses II (1279-1212 BCE) from Aswan, Elephantine Island, Egypt. He is shown wearing the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, and on his brow is a cobra snake ready to attack any opponents. Ramesses II (also called Ramesses the Great) is often identified as the pharaoh of the Exodus. He ruled for […]
Kalah Palace Annals of Tiglath-Pileser, 730 BCE
Date- 730 BCE Current Location- British Museum, London, England Language and Script- Assyrian?; cuneiform Kalah Palace Annal Unit 13 “Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver.” (2 Kings 15-19) General Information- Towards the end of his reign, Tiglath-Pileser III constructed a massive palace in his capital, Kalah (modern Nimrud). Each hall was decorated with […]
Ramesses the Great and the Hittite Treaty, 1258 BCE
After long years of conflict between the two empires, the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite emperor Hattushili III sealed a state treaty. A version prepared by Hattushili and written on a silver tablet was sent to Egypt, where Ramesses commissioned its text to be engrave on a stele erected in the Karnak Temple. […]
Bronze Statue of Caananite Ruler, 13th century BCE
1990-1999 Excavations in Hazor by Amnon Ben-Tor yielded a bronze statue of a Canaanite ruler. Although the invaders of Hazor tried to utterly destroy the city, a wealth of figurines endured the attack. Some sacred statues, like the seated male figure (above), were intentionally buried in the city’s last hours to protect them from desecration […]
David Notified of Uriah’s Death, Rembrandt (1606-1669).
The messenger set out; he came and told David all that Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, ‘First the men prevailed against us and sallied out against us into the open; then we drove them back up to the entrance to the gate. But the archers shot at your men […]
Bathsheba with the Letter from King David, Rembrandt (1606-1669).
Late one afternoon, David rose from his couch and strolled on the roof of the royal palace; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful and the king sent someone to make inquiries about the woman. He reported, ‘She is the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the […]
David Defeats Goliath, Rembrandt (1606-1669).
When the Philistine began to advance toward him again, David quickly ran up to the battle line to face the Philistine. David put his hand into the bag; he took out a stone and slung it. It struck the Philistine in the forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on […]