Origin: Jericho Circa: 9000 BC to 6000 BC Dimensions: 11" (27.9cm) high x 10" (25.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Pre-historic

Origin: Jericho Circa: 9000 BC to 6000 BC Dimensions: 11" (27.9cm) high x 10" (25.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Pre-historic   « Less

This imposing basalt altar dates from the Chalcolithic era, the intermediate period after the advent of stone tools and before the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was an  More »

This imposing basalt altar dates from the Chalcolithic era, the intermediate period after the advent of stone tools and before the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was an age of experimentation, when metalworking was slowly perfected, giving rise to the Bronze Age. This large and powerful work is one of the earliest examples of religious art from a region that would become known as the Holy Lands. The large beak-like nose is emphasized as the seat of the breath of life. Here, the simple yet essential act of breathing is suggested. It is through breath that we are endowed with life. As such, the prominent beak seeks to endow the cold, hard stone with the warmth of life. Libations and offerings to the gods would have been placed in the shallow concave bowl on top of the head, likely to insure the continued prosperity of crops. Thus this work was a result of religious superstition that sought to link the forces of nature with the actions of civilization. By worshipping this avian deity, the ancient peoples of Golan hoped to influence the god, to gain their benevolent favor, and to dissuade their wrath. Even in our modern era, such superstitions persist as good luck charms. This ancient sculpture touches the very foundations human emotions, our fear of disaster and determination to understand the natural world around us. - (X.0021)   « Less

This imposing basalt altar dates from the Chalcolithic era, the intermediate period after the advent of stone tools and before the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was an  More »

This imposing basalt altar dates from the Chalcolithic era, the intermediate period after the advent of stone tools and before the beginning of the Bronze Age. This was an age of experimentation, when metalworking was slowly perfected, giving rise to the Bronze Age. This large and powerful work is one of the earliest examples of religious art from a region that would become known as the Holy Lands. The large beak-like nose is emphasized as the seat of the breath of life. Here, the simple yet essential act of breathing is suggested. It is through breath that we are endowed with life. As such, the prominent beak seeks to endow the cold, hard stone with the warmth of life. Wings project slightly from the body of the altar, heightening the avian quality of the work. Libations and offerings to the gods would have been placed in the shallow concave bowl on top of the head, likely to insure the continued prosperity of crops. Thus this work was a result of religious superstition that sought to link the forces of nature with the actions of civilization. By worshipping this avian deity, the ancient peoples of Golan hoped to influence the god, to gain their benevolent favor, and to dissuade their wrath. Even in our modern era, such superstitions persist as good luck charms. This ancient sculpture touches the very foundations human emotions, our fear of disaster and determination to understand the natural world around us. - (X.0022)   « Less

Origin: Golan, Israel Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high Collection: Biblical Style: Chalcolithic Medium: Basalt

Origin: Golan, Israel Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 13.25" (33.7cm) high Collection: Biblical Style: Chalcolithic Medium: Basalt   « Less

Origin: Golan, Israel Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high x 10.625" (27.0cm) wide x 10" (25.4cm) depth Collection: Biblical Style: Chalcolithic Medium:  More »

Origin: Golan, Israel Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high x 10.625" (27.0cm) wide x 10" (25.4cm) depth Collection: Biblical Style: Chalcolithic Medium: Basalt   « Less

Medium: Dickite A mysterious treasure from the dawn of Western civilization, this stone votive was offered thousands of years ago at the shrine of a powerful god. With a  More »

Medium: Dickite A mysterious treasure from the dawn of Western civilization, this stone votive was offered thousands of years ago at the shrine of a powerful god. With a cache of related artifacts, it was discovered along the shores of Lake Van in Turkey. The deity whose favor it sought was apparently a nature god, associated also with fertility and rebirth. This superb statue depicts a standing votary, carved in an elegantly simple fashion. His head, when seen in profile, becomes the body of a bird. In this ancient cult, the bird seems associated with the idea of the soul, perhaps a transformation in the afterlife. The image engraved on the bottom of the votive depicts a seated idol. Pressed into soft wax or clay, it would have produced multiple images to please the heavens. The effect of this rare sculpture is powerful and haunting. It touches a chord deep in the soul, something ancient but not completely forgotten. - (D.0040)man/Bird Votive Figure With An Intaglio - D.0040 Origin: Lake Van, Anatolia Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BC Dimensions: 5.625" (14.3cm) high x 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Style: Neolithic   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Terracotta

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Truly utilitarian in its design, yet delightfully elegant in its simplicity, this three handled vessel may have served as a cooking pot or a storage jar for a shepherd during  More »

Truly utilitarian in its design, yet delightfully elegant in its simplicity, this three handled vessel may have served as a cooking pot or a storage jar for a shepherd during the millennium prior to the Israelite patriarchs. It is eminently sturdy, and strives to contain as much as its owner requires. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, the centuries melt away and the imagination sets out on a journey of discovery. - (SP.251)   « Less

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of  More »

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of a powerful deity. Or perhaps it held sauces or condiments to delight the palate and spruce up an otherwise humble meal for a shepherd. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (SP.349)   « Less

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of  More »

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of a powerful deity. Or perhaps it held sauces or condiments to delight the palate and spruce up an otherwise humble meal for a shepherd. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (SP.357)   « Less