Ancient Israel

Ancient Ox Carts

Illustration of ox carts used by the ancient Philistines...

Read More

Ancient Men's Head Covering

In ancient Israel there seems to have been no covering for the head except on certain occasions. For example, during times of great distress it was customary to wear a head covering....

Read More

King David

The tribes in the south were extremely distressed and appealed to David. He was anointed king of Judah in Hebron. It wasn't long before the tribes in the north came to Hebron and anointed him king over Israel, it was 7 years after Saul's death. David immediately captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites. He brought the Ark of the covenant (gold box con...

Read More

The King's Highway

The King's Highway was an ancient trade route that began in Egypt, and stretched across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba and then northward to Damascus and the Euphrates River. One of the earliest references to the King's Highway is found in the Bible (Numbers 20:17), where the Israelites request for a safe passage through Edom: Num 20:17-21 "Please ...

Read More

Watchtower in the Vineyard

This was also called a watchman's booth, which was a small sheltered tower in the midst of a vineyard. They were very important during harvest time, where the whole family would often reside. The watchtower was a symbol of protection from enemies and thieves and rising above them....

Read More

Ancient Israelite Houses

First Century Israelite Houses in the Lower City....

Read More

Tracks Between Walls

Illustration of how people travelled between city walls....

Read More

Ancient Mezuzah in Doorway

The word "mezuzah" is Hebrew for doorpost. Moses commanded that the Word of God should be written on the doorposts of every house in order to keep His words constantly in their minds and in their hearts. At a later time the Jews took this literally, by placing Scriptures (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21) on a small parchment scroll within a cylinder...

Read More

The Extent of David's Kingdom

King David's military victories were quite impressive and magnified his authority and the boundaries of Israel. The kingdom included all of the land originally allotted to the 12 tribes of Israel (except a small portion of Philistia along the southern Mediterranean coast) and also the kingdom of Ammon. Map...

Read More

David's Last Days

David was Israel's greatest and truly ideal king. He was a great warrior and a man who loved God. He brought great peace and prosperity to the land. But David also had his weaknesses. He took many wives, like other kings, and this was forbidden by God. He even arranged the murder of one of his soldiers so that he could marry the man's wife who he h...

Read More