Carnelian, gold, and silver jewelry Late Cannanite (Bronze) PeriodThe desire for self-decoration was one of the strongest instincts of ancient humans and led to the production of jewelry, which was intended both to adorn and to draw attention to the wearer. The magical use of jewelry, too, was known in ancient societies, and jewels were at times meant to emphasize the wealth and status of their wearer, male or female. With humanity's development, jewelry became more and more sophisticated, reaching impressive levels of artistic accomplishment and diversity.

Because of their small size, ancient jewels have been preserved better than many other objects, and they provide an important means for understanding early cultures and customs.

A seal made of hard colored stone, depicting a proto-Ionic capital, typical of First Temple public buildings. Below the capital, the inscription "To Padajah,son of the King", 597 BCE.The collection of West Semitic seals, dating from the 8th to the 6th centuries BCE, illuminate various fields relating to the history of the Land of Israel and neighboring cultures, such as the development of writing, language, names, administration, society, religion, and art.

In addition to Hebrew seals, the collection also includes Phoenician, Ammonite, Moabite, and Aramaic seals. The widespread diffusion of Hebrew seals compared with all the other West Semitic seals indicates that many people in Israelite society had the ability to read and write. The most important of the Hebrew seals are those bearing titles indicating the rank and function of the seal's owner in the royal administration.

Bronze oil lamp handle in the shape of a vine leaf Mishnaic (Late Roman) periodSeven plants of the field and vine, with which the Land of Israel is blessed, are elaborated upon in the Book of Deuteronomy (8:8): “A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey.” Ripened yields of the seven species were brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. These crops and fruits frequently served ancient Jewish art as decorative motifs in synagogues and on everyday objects, such as coins, seals, rings, lamps, jewelry, glass vessels, and more.

Carved stone from the Hulda Gate Temple Mount. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe Temple Mount Excavation

For many years, scientific excavations of archaeological sites in Jerusalem were impossible. Excavations undertaken in the city, beginning in the 19th century, were carried out at relatively few sites and under many restrictions. Nevertheless, remains were discovered from the Chalcolithic period onwards.

The archaeological secrets of the city remained concealed until the Six Day War in 1967. Since then, however, extensive and fundamental excavations, concentrating primarily on the areas of the Western and Southern Walls of the Temple Mount, the Jewish Quarter in David's Citadel, Mount Zion, and the City of David, have added considerably to our knowledge of ancient Jerusalem. For the first time the period of the First and Second Temples is being revealed through the analysis of numerous objects dating from these times found in archaeological contexts. The magnificent past of Jerusalem is now gradually being disclosed.

Pulling toy in the shape of a clay fowl from a grave at Mghar al-Sharif (Sharon plain) Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities AuthorityBoth archaeological finds and written sources demonstrate that various types of games and toys occupied a respected place in the leisure culture of adults and children in the ancient world. Both children and adults enjoyed games and amused themselves with sports competitions, games with pets, dances, songs, and various musical instruments. 

Children's toys included dolls (which differed in shape from fertility goddesses), everyday miniature objects, miniatures of animals, wheeled toys, and more.

Artifacts from the Cemetery at Achziv. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities AuthorityAchziv, located on the northern coastal plain south of the mouth of the Keziv Stream, was an important Phoenician port city that was first settled in the Middle Canaanite (Bronze) II period.

Phoenician settlement, which started on the Lebanese coast toward the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, spread southward along the coast of the Land of Israel and westward to Cyprus and then to the Mediterranean islands and more distant shores during the 1st millennium BCE.

Ancient oil lampThe earliest known lamps were adapted from ordinary, plain pottery bowls filled with oil; the wick was simply placed in the oil and lit. Later on, a pinched rim was devised in order to ensure a steady, controlled supply of oil to the wick. In time, this pinched rim developed into a real spout. During the Middle Canaanite Period most oil lamps had four pinched spouts, whereas in later periods oil lamps seldom had more than one spout.

Traditionally shaped, pinched spouted lamps continued to be used until the late Hellenistic period. At the same time, however, under the influence of imported Greek-style closed lamps, locally manufactured lamps were designed in imitation. This new design gradually replaced the traditional one. From this period onwards, the closed, molded lamps bore decorations in relief.

Etruscan cultureThe Etruscan civilization first appeared in central Italy in the 8th century BCE. Distinctive archaeological finds and the fact that the Etruscan language still has not been completely deciphered add to the mystique of this particular culture.

Hoard of shekels from the time of the Jewish War against the Romans 66-70 CEThe collection of coins is an important component of the Hecht Collection. 

It includes coins struck by Jewish rulers during the Second Temple period, beginning with the coins of YHD, the Persian Province of Judah (approximately mid-4th century BCE) and ending with the coins of Bar Kokhba (132-135 CE). 

Especially impressive are the shekels and half-shekels from the period of the Great Revolt, and the sela and dinar coins that were minted during the Bar Kokhba War. These coins were decorated with motifs common in Jewish art, such as pomegranates, clusters of grapes, goblets, and musical instruments.

Cyprus archeological find Cyprus, situated in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea, was culturally influenced by both Greece and Phoenicia. The intermingling of these two gave birth to a rich, diversified culture, whose technological and artistic level was especially high.

The culture of Cyprus greatly influenced the material culture of the land of Israel. The wealth of archaeological finds discovered in excavations in Israel testifies to the ties between the two countries.

Stone weights from Judah, Late Israelite (Iron) period 8th - 6th centuries BCEIn ancient times, the use of weights was confined to weighing precious metals, silver and gold, which served as a means of payment before the invention of coins; weights were also used to weigh special products, such as spices and medicines.

The Museum's collection contains weights made of stone, bronze, lead, and glass that belong to the different weighing systems commonly used among the cultures of the Ancient Near East from the Canaanite period to the end of the Byzantine period. The weights come in a variety of shapes, the most noticeable being a group of animal shaped weights made of bronze or hematite. A large and important group in this collection is that of the Judean stone weights from the end of the First Temple period (8th to 6th centuries BCE).

Colored stele relief, with Egyptian inscription MES (= child) Egypt 19th DynastyIn isolated Egypt, surrounded by deserts to the east and west and the sea to its north, there developed a magnificent, well-developed culture. The richness of the Nile and the bountiful harvests likely brought about the cultural prosperity of this country for more than three thousand years.