Bible Lands Museum Jerusalemמוזיאון ציביליזציה ב ירושלים
- Archaeology of Israel - ארכאולוגיה של ארץ ישראלארגון ממשלתי
- Viewpoint Israelעמותה
- Biblical Archaeology-Biblical Studiesדמות ציבורית
Have you ever thought about the ship the Prophet Jonah tried to escape on?
You probably know that on Yom Kippur Jews around the world read the Book of Jonah, which tells how the prophet Jonah was sent by God to warn the residents of the great city Nineveh about its impending destruction.
Refusing to carry out the mission, Jonah went to the port in Jaffa and tried to flee in a ship sailing to Tarshish, a land or a city in the Western Mediterranean.
...But do you know what the ship actually looked like? While its exact details remain unknown, archeological excavations at several sites on the eastern Mediterranean coast have revealed some objects bearing images of ships. One of these objects is a cow scapula (shoulder bone) found in Tel Dor, a site on the seashore near the southern end of the Carmel Ridge, dated between the 8th and 6th centuries BCE. Since the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, was destroyed in 612 BCE, the scapula probably belongs to the period described in the Book of Jonah, and the ship which features on it is likely similar to the ship in which Jonah sailed from Jaffa.
The scene engraved on the scapula depicts a ritual designed to ensure the boat would receive the blessing of the gods. The ship, on the left side of the object, has two decks, and the stern is decorated with a duck’s head. Near the stern is a man with an open mouth and a hand on his forehead – a sign that he’s voicing a sound. On the beach are a woman playing the harp and a man with his hand raised in prayer.
Pictured: The scapula from Tel Dor, a city of Phoenician traders and sailors who founded many cities on the Mediterranean coast and developed various methods to utilize the sea's resources. One of these methods was to extract magnificent colors – blue (tekhelet) and purple (argaman) – from the bodies of marine snails. The scapula is a beautiful example of Phoenician visual art, and is displayed in the exhibition "Out of the Blue" at the Bible Lands Museum (Courtesy of the Antiquities Authority and HaMizgaga Museum of Archaeology and Glass).
From all of us at the Bible Lands Museum, we wish you an easy fast and a very good year!
The first Festival of Ancient Writing is coming to the Bible Lands Museum!
Long before WhatsApp, emojis and tweets, writing has undergone many iterations, which you can see for yourselves at the Festival of Ancient Writing that will be held on Chol HaMoed Sukkoth, at an event for the whole family!
To celebrate the new school year, the Bible Lands Museum invites children from all over Israel to come together with their parents this Sukkoth to a festival celebrating the origin...s of writing, letters and words. Trace the invention of various forms of writing, learn about changes in written communication over time, and explore the shared origins of all forms of writing, including ideograms of animals, human figures, body parts, structures, objects, and more, which later evolved into the written signs we know today.
Join us on September 25th-27th for a variety of activities including guided tours through the museum, challenges in identifying the Phoenician and Jewish alphabets, games and missions in ancient languages, creative workshops and an arts fair showcasing different types of writing.
And a gift from us to all first grade students – free entry to the activity!
This Chol HaMoed Sukkot, the writing festival is the place to be. Looking forward to seeing you!
Program be held in Hebrew.
