THE LIBRARY

Articles and guides

Selected case studies and useful reading questions: what was found, how was it studied and what follows from the evidence?

Eleven articles and guides connect case studies with methods: layers and dating, critical reading, pottery, coins, inscriptions and raw materials. Choose a question, then follow the sources and related reading. Checking an abstract is never presented as reviewing an entire paper.

3 articles and guides

Ivory plaque from Nimrud with two sphinxes facing a central cartouche — Ivory furniture plaque from Nimrud, Mesopotamia, ca. 9th-8th century BCE, in Phoenician style. Shown for comparison; this is not one of the Jerusalem ivories. The Met, 62.269.4.The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 62.269.4 · Rogers Fund, 1962 · CC0 · Source · CC0 1.0

CRAFT & MATERIAL CULTURE · IRON AGE

Jerusalem ivories: craft, decoration and connections

Decorated ivory panels raise questions about choices, resources and shared traditions. Read the argument without inventing a name for the owner.

4 min read, approximatelyRead the article

INSCRIPTION · JERUSALEM

Names and sums on a stone in Jerusalem

A short inscription opens a larger question about everyday life: how do we distinguish the surviving text from its proposed function?

3 min read, approximatelyRead the article

Pale terracotta amphora with two handles, a pointed base and painted Phoenician writing on its upper body — Cypriot amphora with a painted Phoenician inscription, sixth-fifth century BCE. A comparison for writing on vessels; not the Jerusalem inscription. The Met, 74.51.2300.The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 74.51.2300 · The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874-76 · CC0 · Source · CC0 1.0

RESEARCH & METHOD

Reading an ancient inscription: from mark to claim

Photograph, transcription, reconstruction and translation are different steps. A guide to reading names, numbers and meaning on objects.