Aramaic is an ancient Semitic language that belongs to the Northwest line of Semitic languages. Known as early as the 9th Century B.C., Aramaic began as the language of the  More »

Aramaic is an ancient Semitic language that belongs to the Northwest line of Semitic languages. Known as early as the 9th Century B.C., Aramaic began as the language of the Aramaeans. Later, the language was adopted by many non-Aramaean peoples, including the Jew after the Babylonian exile. Eventually, Aramiac was used extensively throughout the Ancient Near East as the common tongue of merchants and governments. Although Aramaic and Hebrew are similar in vocabulary and pronunciation, there are enough differences to make the two languages distinct. Many important books of the Old and New Testament were composed in Aramaic, and the language is popularly believed to be the native tongue of Jesus. From the late 5th Century A.D. onwards, Aramaic supplanted Hebrew as the daily language of the Jews. For instance, the Gemara, the second division of the Talmud, was written entirely in Aramaic. Origin: Mesopotamia Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 5 th Century AD Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 13" (33.0cm) wide Collection: Biblical Style: Mandaic Medium: Lead Additional Information: Found in Jerusalem, Israel   « Less

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 300 BC Collection: Egyptian-Roman Medium: Faience-Gold Most ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze  More »

Origin: Egypt (Sinai) Circa: 1600 BC to 300 BC Collection: Egyptian-Roman Medium: Faience-Gold Most ancient Egyptian beads were made of faience, a glass-composite glaze which was introduced as early as the Pre-Dynastic period. According to Egyptologists, most beads were made on an axis, probably of thread, which would burn up during firing, leaving a hole. Disc, ring and tubular beads were made by coating the axis with the unfired body-paste, rolling the cylinder to an even diameter on a flat surface, and then scoring it with a knife into sections of the desired length. Other shapes, such as ball beads, were rolled between the hands and perforated while still wet with a stiff point such as a wire needle. The beads were then dried, coating with glaze (if the glaze had not already been mixed with the paste), and fired. The firing process often gave the beads a beautiful translucent quality. The majority of faience beads are blue or green in color, but black, red yellow and white ones were also produced, especially in the New Egyptian Kingdom. - (FJ.1098)   « Less

The ancient kingdom of Saba ruled over the lands of southern Arabia, centered in modern day Yemen. Saba is perhaps better known as Sheba, the Hebrew word for the kingdom,  More »

The ancient kingdom of Saba ruled over the lands of southern Arabia, centered in modern day Yemen. Saba is perhaps better known as Sheba, the Hebrew word for the kingdom, whose famous Queen was recounted as having visited Solomon in the pages of the Old Testament. Biblical accounts speak of the wealth of this ancient civilization of traders and merchants, and modern archaeological excavations confirm these reports. Ruins of fortresses and walled towns are evident and remnants of their extensive irrigation system that turned the desert into a paradise still cover the land. Although gold and silver deposits were present, the chief source of their vast wealth was derived from their veritable monopoly of two of the most coveted materials in ancient times: frankincense and myrrh, resinous gums obtained from certain trees that only grow in Southern Arabia and were literally worth their weight in gold. There was not a temple or wealthy house in the ancient world, from Babylon to Rome, where one would not smell the fragrant scents of these incenses. In addition, a trade route that connected India to Egypt that passed through their capital of Marib was another major source of wealth. Perhaps their greatest accomplishment was the Great Dam of Marib, a monumental construction that brought water from the mountains both to the city and to the crop fields. The dam was in continual use (accounting for timely repairs) until the 6th Century A.D. and its ultimate destruction is detailed in the Koran as the end of the old world and a turning point in history. However, the civilization that created this wonder fell apart long before the damn did. In the 1st Century A.D., the Ptolemaic Greeks discovered a sea route from India directly to the port of Alexandria, eliminating Saba from this lucrative trade and ushering in the decline of Sabean prosperity. - (X.0543)Origin: Yemen Circa: 200 BC to 100 AD Collection: Biblical Style: Sabean Medium: Alabaster   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This charming little  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This charming little vessel, combining a pilgrim flask and an amphora, is of a type that became popular in Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III. Its exact function is unknown, but the vessel was very possibly used for cosmetics. Oil might have been stored in the flask and a dry powder, such as ground malachite, in the jar. When the two were mixed they formed a paste to adorn the eyelids. Its delicate, arching handle balances perfectly on the end of a finger. We can easily imagine some great beauty of Egypt's Golden Age enhancing the dark luster of her eyes as she readied herself for a banquet. When our fingers rest where ancient ones did so long ago, we are linked directly to that vanished time. - (PF.1091)   « Less

This stunning sculpture was used as a grave- marker and belongs to a distinctive group of South Arabian dedication plaques. It depicts the bust of a woman in high relief  More »

This stunning sculpture was used as a grave- marker and belongs to a distinctive group of South Arabian dedication plaques. It depicts the bust of a woman in high relief against a rectangular slab. Other examples of this type have inscriptions along the base which often name the deceased and/or the god to whom they had a special devotion. The Sabeans were polytheistic until the late 4th century AD. It is likely that this piece also had a dedication which is now lost. The woman is shown in a characteristic pose with her right arm raised and her left held across the chest just beneath her ample breasts. Other surviving pieces depict the woman holding a sheath of wheat in her left hand, a symbol associated with fertility. It is likely that the large breasts perform a similar function here. She wears a high-neck short- sleeve tunic. Only the hairline is depicted along the top edge. The hair may have been lost or it could have been added separately in plaster, which was common on other funerary sculpture from Yemen. The eyes and eyebrows may have originally been highlighted with red or black pigment. Origin: Yemen Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 8" (20.3cm) high x 8" (20.3cm) wide Collection: Biblical Style: Sabean Medium: Stone   « Less

Origin: Eastern Mediterranean Circa: 1 st Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high Collection: Biblical Style: Roman Period Medium: Glazed Terracotta

Origin: Eastern Mediterranean Circa: 1 st Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high Collection: Biblical Style: Roman Period Medium: Glazed Terracotta   « Less

The ancient kingdom of Saba ruled over the lands of southern Arabia, centered in modern day Yemen. Saba is perhaps better known as Sheba, the Hebrew word for the kingdom,  More »

The ancient kingdom of Saba ruled over the lands of southern Arabia, centered in modern day Yemen. Saba is perhaps better known as Sheba, the Hebrew word for the kingdom, whose famous Queen was recounted as having visited Solomon in the pages of the Old Testament. Biblical accounts speak of the wealth of this ancient civilization of traders and merchants, and modern archaeological excavations confirm these reports. Ruins of fortresses and walled towns are evident and remnants of their extensive irrigation system that turned the desert into a paradise still cover the land. Although gold and silver deposits were present, the chief source of their vast wealth was derived from their veritable monopoly of two of the most coveted materials in ancient times: frankincense and myrrh, resinous gums obtained from certain trees that only grow in Southern Arabia and were literally worth their weight in gold. There was not a temple or wealthy house in the ancient world, from Babylon to Rome, where one would not smell the fragrant scents of these incenses. In addition, a trade route that connected India to Egypt that passed through their capital of Marib was another major source of wealth. Perhaps their greatest accomplishment was the Great Dam of Marib, a monumental construction that brought water from the mountains both to the city and to the crop fields. The dam was in continual use (accounting for timely repairs) until the 6th Century A.D. and its ultimate destruction is detailed in the Koran as the end of the old world and a turning point in history. However, the civilization that created this wonder fell apart long before the damn did. In the 1st Century A.D., the Ptolemaic Greeks discovered a sea route from India directly to the port of Alexandria, eliminating Saba from this lucrative trade and ushering in the decline of Sabean prosperity. - (LO.595)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 24.5" (62.2cm) high x 14.75" (37.5cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood,  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 750 BC to 30 BC Dimensions: 24.5" (62.2cm) high x 14.75" (37.5cm) depth Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Period Medium: Wood, Paint The multiplicity of gods in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon frequently resulted in the merger of the identities of the different gods into one composite deity. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris is one such syncretic deity, combining the attributes of the three gods after whom he is named. Ptah, the creator god, is regarded as one of the greatest deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Ancient inscriptions describe him as “creator of the earth, father of the gods and all the being of this earth, father of beginnings.” He was regarded as the patron of metalworkers and artisans (possibly due to the fact that he was believed to fashion the bodies of humans for the afterlife) and as a mighty healer and is usually represented as a mummy. The main center of his worship was in Memphis. Sokar, the “Adorned One,” was depicted in the form of an hawk-headed mummified man. Lord of darkness and death (in the sense of inertia), he presided over the Memphis necropolis and was sometimes viewed as an alternate form of Ptah before their identities were combined. By the end of the New Kingdom, the composite Ptah-Sokar had merged with yet another deity, Osiris, god of fertility, king of the dead, and ruler of eternity. The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth, overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore his body into fourteen parts, scattering them across Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris, traversed the land and gathered all the parts of his body. She then cast a spell that resurrected her deceased husband for one night, during which their child, Horus, was conceived. Thus, Osiris was the central figure of Egyptian religion, the god who had triumphed over death and therefore offered the hope of rebirth and resurrection to all men.   « Less

Elongated figurine cast in solid bronze depicted standing, the missing arms possibly bent forward, the long cloak with a v-shaped collar. The head surmounted by a conical  More »

Elongated figurine cast in solid bronze depicted standing, the missing arms possibly bent forward, the long cloak with a v-shaped collar. The head surmounted by a conical headdress, the face with deep inset almond-shaped eyes, long straight nose and small mouth, the earlobes each pierced by two dangling metal rings.It is generally agreed that human figurines made of metal from the Levant are representations of deities. Since monumental stone sculptures are relatively rare in this area before the Hellenistic period, these figurines might be miniature replicas of wooden cult statues which have not survived the ravages of time. As such, metal figurines may have been used as votive images, given also the fact that they were mainly excavated from within ceremonial enclosures, hence suggesting their ritual connotation. It should also be noted that these images may have been used as amulets for magic purposes in domestic and funerary cults.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9.625" (24.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Plaster, Glass Our portrait  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century AD Dimensions: 9.625" (24.4cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Plaster, Glass Our portrait head depicts a young man in the prime of his life. His hair is arranged in a style fashionable among Roman aristocrats in during the first half of the first century AD, at which time Egypt was administered by agents of the Roman emperors. His facial features are rendered in an idealizing manner so that he might be able to spend eternity in perfect health. His skin tones are rendered in a light-brownish hue. His mouth is small with a slightly fleshier lower lip, his nose thin-bridged, his eyes brows, plastically rendered as paint stripes and painted black, as are the horizontally arranged rows of tight curls of his hair. His large, almond-shaped eyes are inlaid with glass and sparkle in a manner that imbues the face with a life-like, realistic quality which is enhanced by the presence of painted eye lashes. Objects such as our portrait were placed over the heads of mummies of elite members of Egypt’s aristocracy during the Roman Imperial Period. These individuals may have been highly placed members of the bureaucracy of the time, and proclaimed their allegiance to Rome by their dress and coiffures. Such Egyptian creations find their closest parallels in Roman portraits in marble of the period, and are to be considered as belonging to that rich tradition of Roman portraiture.   « Less