Regional STACHEM Workshop on Infrastructures for Digitisation in
STACHEM Project
Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean
Dr. Susan Hazan
Curator of New Media and Head of the Internet Office
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Educational, entertaining and experiential: making archaeological collections available online for all
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
November 2009
Art Wing
Jewish Art and Life Wing
Education Wing
Archaeological Wing
The Land Before History Lower Paleolithic period
1,500,000–120,000 BCE
Late Chalcolithic
4,500–3,500 BCE Civilizations of Canaan ‐‐‐‐ Early Canaanite (Bronze Age)
‐‐‐‐ Intermediate Canaanite (Bronze Age) ‐‐‐‐ Middle Canaanite (Bronze Age)
‐‐‐‐ Late Canaanite (Bronze Age)
3,500–1,150 BCE 3,500–2,300 BCE 2,300–2,000 BCE
2,000–1,550 BCE
1,550–1,200 BCE
Israel and the Bible (Iron Age) I, 1200–1,000 BCE
Greeks, Romans and Jews (Hellenistic period)
Under Roman Rule The Holy Land (Byzantine period)
332 BCE
70 – 135 CE
326 – 636 CE Neighboring Cultures ‐‐‐‐ Egypt ‐‐‐‐ Ancient Near East Classical Archaeology Islamic Art and Archaeology Glass Through the Ages Dead Sea Scrolls Origins of Hebrew Writing Evolution of Coinage Third Millenium BCE ‐ Fourth century CE
The oldest art work in the world Figurine from Berekhat Ram Berekhat Ram, Golan Heights Lower Paleolithic 233,000 BP Volcanic material 3.5 x 2.5 x 2.1 cm Israel Antiquities Authority Rare objects recently found at prehistoric sites in Israel may herald a revolution in the current approach to the origins of art. These finds suggest that art began hundreds of thousand of years earlier than scholars had believed, and that the creators of this art belonged to an extinct human species that preceded modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, the latest stage in the development of humanity. The most remarkable find is a 233,000‐year‐old female figurine from Berekhat Ram in the Golan. Made of local volcanic material, this pebble is 3.5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, and 2.1 cm thick. Microscopic analyses have proved that it was shaped by human hands, rendering it the oldest work of art ever found. It was incised with a flint tool, which was also used to shape the head, arms, and ample bosom. This very ancient object is the oldest creation of local artists, who were apparently the first artists
in the world.
Seated woman Horvat Minha (Munhata) Neolithic, 6th millennium BCE Pottery H: 11 cm; W: 6.5 cm Israel Antiquities Authority Accession number: IAA 67‐684
Though depictions of the human form are known in the Levant from the beginning of the Neolithic period (8th millennium BCE), this female figurine from two thousand years later is the most impressive example of its kind as yet uncovered. The cult of the Mother Goddess was widespread among ancient civilizations and, in keeping with other early female representations, the fertility attributes of this figurine‐wide hips and enlarged buttocks‐have been emphasized. Her triangular head rests directly on her shoulders while her bent left arm supports her relatively small breasts. The right arm, now restored, hangs straight down. The sculpture was made by wrapping a layer of clay around a cylindrical clay core, and adding the separately made body parts. Details, such as the garment covering the shoulders and back, oblong pellet‐shaped eyes ("coffee‐bean eyes"), and the ears, are indicated by applied bits of clay. Archaeological evidence places the figurine within the Yarmukian culture, which flourished in the sixth millennium BCE, when agriculture and pasturage were beginning to develop in the Levant. Figurine of a Yarmukian goddess, Horvat Minha, Jordan Valley
Prehistory, Chalcolithic Period, 6th millennium BCE
Cult stand, En Hazeva
Negev, 7th century BCE, Israelite Period
Cult stand, En Hazeva
Negev, 7th century BCE, Israelite Period
Jug, Eastern Mediterranean
4th century CE
Roman parade helmet
Unprovenanced, 2nd century CE
Aphrodite figurine, Mount Carmel
Roman Period, 1st century BCE
Oil lamp on a stand, Beth Shean
5th–6th century CE
Figurine of a calf and a model shrine, Ashkelon
Middle Bronze Age, 2nd millennium BCE
Bull figurine, Samaria region
Israelite Period, 12th century BCE
The permanent TEL exhibition at the Israel
Museum, Jerusalem is a physical education site
intended for school classes and families,
providing a hands-on context for the artifacts
displayed in the Museum’s galleries and an
engaging introduction to the work of
archaeologists.
Five historical periods are represented in this
walk-through: Neolithic, Canaanite, Israelite,
Herodian, and Muslim.
Visitors have ample opportunities to experience
the different stages of archaeological research:
digging, discovery, cleaning, restoration,
sorting, studying, and reconstructing the past.
Entrance Gallery
Entrance Gallery
Civilizations of Canaan
Israel and the Bible
Israel and the Bible
Greeks, Romans and Jews
Under Roman Rule
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
shazan@imj.org.il