Israel Museum Tour

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House of David

This special Aramaic inscription is part of a large stone slab that celebrates the military wins of Hazael, the king of Aram. It includes the first mention of the Davidic dynasty outside of the Bible. In this inscription, the king brags about killing Joram, the king of Israel, and Ahaziah, who is from "the House of David" (Judah). This claim goes against what is told in the Book of Kings, which states that Jehu was the one who killed Joram and Ahaziah, and he later took over the throne of Israel. The inscription says: "…and cut… My father went up against him when he fought at… And my father laid down and went to his ancestors. The king of Israel entered my father's land before me. Hadad made me king. Hadad went in front of me, and I left from the seven… of my kingdom, and I killed seventy kings, who had thousands of chariots and thousands of horsemen (or: horses). I killed Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, and I killed Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of the House of David. I destroyed their towns and turned their land into desolation… and Jehu ruled over Israel… and I laid siege upon…”

The Discovery of a Unique Temple in Arad A small sanctuary was found in the Arad fortress, located on the southern border of Judah. This is the only temple from Judah that has ever been discovered. Like many ancient shrines in the Near East, including the famous Temple in Jerusalem, it had several areas that showed different levels of holiness. At the back of the sanctuary was the Holy of Holies, which contained a smooth stone known as a massebah. This stone may have represented the presence of God. There were also two altars that still had the ashes of the last incense offerings made there. The sanctuary was buried on purpose during the reign of King Hezekiah. He wanted to stop all public worship that took place outside the Temple in Jerusalem.

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Holy of Holies

These two silver amulets contain the oldest known copies of biblical texts that we have today. They are about five hundred years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. The amulets, which have ancient Hebrew writing, were discovered rolled up in small scrolls inside a burial cave in Jerusalem. The inscriptions were made with a sharp, thin tool that was no thicker than a hair. This made it hard to read what was written. The lower part of the writing has been recognized as a version of Numbers 6:24–26: "The Lord bless and protect you. The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you. The Lord bestow his favor upon you and grant you peace." This blessing is known as the Priestly Benediction and is still used in Jewish prayers today.

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Amulets

Finished?

The Cyrus cylinder is a clay cylinder that tells the story of how Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC. It also describes how he restored various temples and statues that had been taken by Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon. The cylinder's shape is common for royal writings from the Late Babylonian period. It was meant to be buried in the city wall of Babylon and was placed there after Cyrus captured the city. The text on the cylinder is not complete and is written in Babylonian script. It mentions that Nabonidus, the last King of Babylon (who ruled from 555 to 539 BC), had upset the worship of Babylonian gods, including Marduk, the city's main god. Nabonidus forced the people to work for him, which made them unhappy. The gods abandoned Babylon, but Marduk looked for someone to bring back the old ways. He chose Cyrus, who was the King of Anshan (Persia), and named him the king of the world. Cyrus then ruled over the tribes of Iran fairly. After that, Marduk told Cyrus to march to Babylon, where he entered without any fighting. Nabonidus was captured, and the people of Babylon happily accepted Cyrus as their new king. The cylinder then continues as if Cyrus is speaking: "I, Cyrus, king of the world…" He describes himself as a follower of Marduk who wanted peace in Babylon and ended the forced labor of the people. Neighbors brought gifts to Babylon, and Cyrus claimed he restored their temples and religious practices, along with returning their gods and people who had been taken away. The text concludes with a mention of extra food offerings in Babylon's temples and talks about the rebuilding of Imgur-Enlil, the city wall of Babylon. During this rebuilding, an older inscription from Ashurbanipal, the King of Assyria (who ruled from 668 to 627 BC), was discovered.

Cyrus Cylinder

Watch the video to see a replication of the Ishtar Gate.