Bible History
Bible History
Choose a Category

Ancient Near East

Female Figurine from Ur

Iraq: Tell Asmar, Trench D; Ur III/Isin-Larsa Period, ca. 2100-1800 B.C. Baked clay. Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1935-6. "Figurines like this one have been found in the excavated remains of Mesopotamian houses, temples, and other public buildings of the early second millennium B.C. They have no definite divine attributes and their exact fu...

Read More

Court Servant with Covered Tray

From The Detroit Institute of Arts: Court Servant with Covered Tray; 5th century B.C.; Iranian, Achaemenid Dynasty; Limestone; height 54.6 cm (21 1/2 in.); Gift of Lillian Henkel Haass; 31.340. "This relief depicts a Persian court servant holding a covered tray on his shoulder. He wears the distinctive Persian garment of long sleeves and draped ski...

Read More

Clay Tablet and Envelope

Iraq: Nuzi; Mitannian Period; Second half of the 15th century B.C. Baked clay. Oriental Museum. Gift of the Iraq Museum and the American Schools of Oriental Research, 1934. "Enclosed in its clay envelope, this tablet was stored in a private archive of more than 1,000 texts. The tablet records the outcome of a litigation between two men, both of who...

Read More

Assyrian Soldiers Towing a Boat

Assyrian Soldiers Towing a Boat is a bas-relief sculpture from the palace of King Sargon II at Khorsabad, dating to the 8th century BCE. It depicts a group of Assyrian soldiers towing a boat through a shallow river. The soldiers are naked, except for helmets and belts, and they are pulling the boat with ropes. The boat is carrying a load of supplie...

Read More

Foundation Slab of Xerxes

Iran: Persepolis, Garrison quarters; Achaemenid Period; Reign of Xerxes, ca. 485-465 B.C. Gray limestone. Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1935. "This stone tablet inscribed with Babylonian cuneiform characters lists the nations under Persian rule shortly after the uprisings that occurred when Xerxes came to the throne."...

Read More

Crater with Ibexes

Iran: Chogha Mish; Middle Susiana 3; Late 5th millennium B.C. Baked clay. Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1965-6. "The geographical term "Susiana," referring to the area ruled in the historical period by the city of Susa, is also applied to the prehistoric cultures of lowland southwestern Iran. Representational designs such as the stylized wil...

Read More

Cup Supported by Heroes and Animals

Iraq: Tell Agrab, Shara Temple; Jamdat Nasr/Early Dynastic I, ca. 3100-2750 B.C. Gypsum (?). Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1935-6. This elaborate vessel was discovered in the Shara Temple where it was probably used to place offerings before the god. The decoration of its openwork support shows a hero, naked except for a double-strand belt, g...

Read More

Whetstone with bronze handle

Luristan culture, about 1000-700 BC This is a whetstone, used to sharpen weapons and tools of bronze and iron. It dates to the early first millennium BC. Although by this time the use of iron had become widespread, bronze remained one of the most commonly used metals. Normally they were very simple tools: just a stone perforated at the top and fit...

Read More

Gazelle Head Stamp Seal

Iraq: Tell Agrab; Jamdat Nasr/Early Dynastic I, ca. 3100-2750 B.C. Gypsum (?). Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1935-6. "In central and southern Mesopotamia, both stamp and cylinder seals appeared together near the end of the third millennium B.C. Many stamp seals were carved in the form of an animal or an animal head, and the sealing surface w...

Read More

Two Assyrian Court Officials

Two Assyrian Court Officials is a bas-relief sculpture from the palace of King Sargon II at Khorsabad, dating to the 8th century BCE. It depicts two high-ranking Assyrian officials, who are likely eunuchs, standing side by side. The figures are dressed in elaborate robes and jewelry, and they both carry ceremonial staffs. The figure on the left is ...

Read More

61 Bible Translations

Popular Articles

Explore the Bible Like Never Before!

Bible History Online

Bible Study Tools

Top Tags