The Inscribed Pomegranate from the "House of the Lord"

Author(s): Nahman Avigad

Source: The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 53, No. 3 (Sep., 1990), pp. 157-166
Published by: The American Schools of Oriental Research
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 I W~~kP~0

The nscYedPmegrna

byNabmanAvigad

Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990 157

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Previouspage: The thumb-sizedpomegranatecarvedin ivory and bearingan ancient Hebrew
inscription was acquired by the IsraelMuseum with the help of an anonymous donor in 1988.
Mentioned several times in the Bible, the pomegranate(rimmonin Hebrew)was a popular
fertility symbol in ancient times. The shape of this pomegranaterepresentsthe fruit in its
blossom stage of growth, a form less frequently depicted in ancient art than the globular body
of the ripepomegranatewith its crown of short petals. Dated by its inscription to the eighth
centuryB.C.E.,this pomegranateis believed to be associated with the temple built by King
Solomon. Unless otherwise noted, all illustrations in this article are used courtesy of the
Israel Museum.

Museum
heIsrael recentlyworkman who discoveredit and sold
made an outstanding ac-
quisition- a thumb-sized
pomegranatecarvedin
ivory and bearing an ancient Hebrew
inscription. It is believed to be the
only archaeologicalfind known so
farwhich, in all probability,can be
associated with the Temple in Jeru-
salem built by King Solomon. No
wonder,then, that this acquisition
has stirredpublic interest and gained
worldwide publicity.
At the same time, queries have
been raised,orally and in newspapers,
regardingthe authenticity of the
pomegranateor that of its inscrip-
tion. These doubts derive primarily
from lack of sufficient information,
notwithstanding the initial publica-
tion of the object. It is therefore
essential to comment on this impor-
tant find in a professional journal
in orderto providethe public with
additional data and to further a
scholarly discussion on this fas-
cinating subject.
The Recent History
of the Pomegranate
The exact provenanceof the ivory
pomegranateis unknown. Although
not found officially in a controlled
excavation, it may yet have come
from such an excavation conducted
in Jerusalem,possibly stolen by the
it to an antiquities dealer.It could
also be either an accidental find or
the booty from an illegal dig.
When, in 1979, the Frenchbibli-
cal scholar Andr6Lemairevisited an
antique shop in the Old City of Jeru-
salem, he was given the opportunity
to examine an ancient inscribed
ivory object in the shape of a pome-
granate.Lemaire,being familiar
with Hebrew palaeography,recog-
nized the significance of the inscrip-
tion. He took photographsof the
object and published the result of
his investigation, first in a scholarly
journal' and then in a populararchae-
ological magazine3.
The object later was purchased
in Jerusalemby an unknown person
who took it out of the country il-
legally. In 1988 it was offeredanony-
mously for sale and subsequently ac-
quiredand brought back home to
Jerusalemby the Israel Museum,
with the generous help of an anony-
mous donor from Basel, Switzer-
land. Hence this unique relic was
redeemed and returnedto its place
of origin.
Description of the Pomegranate
The shape of the pomegranateis
reminiscent of a very small, grace-
fully designed vase with a rounded
body taperingtowardsits flat bot-
This cross section shows the actual size of
the pomegranate.The body is solid but has a
hole cut into its bottom, which was probably
where a rod, stick, or shaft was inserted.
Drawing by Florica Vainer.
tom and a narrow,tall neck. This
"neck"terminates in the form of six
lengthy petals, two of them broken.
The shape of the pomegranaterepre-
sents the fruit in its blossom stage of
growth. This form is less frequently
depicted in ancient art than the
globularbody of the ripepomegranate
with its crown of short petals.
The total height of the pome-
granateis 43 millimeters (1.68
inches), and the diameter of the body
is 21 millimeters (0.83 of an inch).
The body is solid but has a hole cut
into its bottom, which is 6.5 milli-
meters in diameter and 15 milli-
meters deep. This hole most proba-
bly served to insert a rod, stick, or
shaft. Around the shoulder of the
object is incised an inscription in
palaeo-Hebrewcharacters.A con-
siderablepart of the body is broken
off, obliterating about one-thirdof
the inscription.
The Inscription
The inscription is carefully engraved
aroundthe shoulder of the body in
small but very clear letters. The
preservedpart of the inscription was

158 Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990

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Numerous pomegranateshave been found at other kinds have been found at exca- market"for a low price, as happened
excavation sites, but none inscribed. Above
vations, but none of them were in- before the pomegranatereached the
left: The inscription is engravedaround the
scribed. The inscription gives rise to
shoulder of the body in small but very clear market in Switzerland.
the study of a new subject in biblical
letters. Above center: A considerableportion In addition to the evidence of
of the body is brokenoff,however,obliterating
archaeologywhich, if correctly inter- the patina, I would like to point out
about one-thirdof the inscription. This has
led some scholars to doubt the restoration preted, is associated with the First another distinctive feature which
proposedby Andre Lemaire.Above right: Temple of Jerusalem.After the Israel testifies to the antiquity of the in-
Magnification of the damaged part of the Museum'sacquisition of the pome- scription. The edges of severalof the
inscription shows the uppertwo tips of the letters' lines are not sharp as they
granatewe were able to reexamine
letter taw (see arrow),the addition of which
lends substantial weight to the suggested the inscription and to elaborateon would be in new incisions, but rather
restorationof the inscription. this subject. rounded and worn, merging with the
First of all we must establish surface of the object. This is the re-
the authenticity of the inscription. sult of long wear.Another case in
decipheredby Lemaireas follows: Once this is proven,the genuineness point is the broken surface of the ob-
lby[ ...]hiqd' khnm. From the yod of the pomegranateitself becomes ject, which extends to its entire width,
only the lower horizontal stroke re- self-evident. Lemaire,awareof the and bears distinct signs of forcible
mained, and from the he survived but problem, had the inscription ex- destruction and of havingbeen buried
the upper horizontal stroke. Lemaire amined under a microscope. He in the soil for many years.
proposedthe restoration of the re- found that traces of the ancient Furthermore,a palaeographic
maining letters and read the complete patina, which coveredthe surface of examination of the inscription leaves
legend as follows: lbl[t yhw]h qdcs the pomegranate,could also be seen no doubt whatsoever concerning its
khnm: "Belongingto the Tem[ple in the incisions of the letters. This is genuineness. The script shows cor-
of the Lor]d(Yahweh),holy to the a recognized proof for the antiquity rect forms, well executed by a skilled
priests."Dating the inscription on of such an inscription. The exami- engraverwho was familiar with
palaeographicgrounds to the late nation was repeatedlater in the Hebrew writing. He succeeded in his
eighth century B.C.E., Lemaire ad- chemistry laboratoryof the Israel task despite the difficulty of engrav-
vanced the hypothesis that the Museum, to the same effect. ing in such a small scale upon the
pomegranate had been used by the One might claim that forgers uneven and rounded surface of the
priests in the service of the Temple would be able to produce an artifi- pomegranate'sshoulder.
of Jerusalem. cial patina with chemical means. Lemairecomparedthe script
This may be true, but no forgerin his with that of the Siloam tunnel in-
Discussion right mind would deliberately break scription and dated it accordingly to
The most important and enlighten- such an "attractiveproduct"and sell the late eighth century B.C.E. Actually
ing aspect of the pomegranate is the defective artifact,with the most the pomegranateinscription is not
its
undoubtedly inscription. Quite a important part of its inscription of the elegant formal cursive script
number of pomegranatesof this and missing, on the Jerusalem"flea which characterizesthe Siloam in-

Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990 159

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scription. It divergesfrom the latter
in various aspects, such as the form
of the letters dalet, he, and, especial-
ly, mem, with its irregularw-shaped
head. Moreover,our inscription
looks generally more archaic. Con-
sequently, I am inclined to join
FrankMoore Cross in dating it to
the mid-eighth century B.C.E.
It is of interest to compare the
word qd' with the same word incised
on three contemporaneousbowls
and found in the excavations at
and Arad.6The
Hazor,4 Beersheba,s
script is extremely similar in all
cases. The first two inscriptions are
assigned to the second half of the
eighth century B.C.E.; the third is
unstratified. The word khn (kohen)
was also found on two Hebrew seals,
probablydating to the second half of
the eighth century B.C.E7
As mentioned above,Lemaire
proposeda restoration of the broken
part of the inscription by reading
lby[t yhw]h: "Belongingto the
Temple of the Lord."If correct, then
this restoredpart corroboratesthe
interpretationof the inscription as
associating the pomegranatewith
1G~qZk3~1
3~7-~YLV9P
the Temple.
However,Lemaireprovidedno
graphicevidence, nor a detailed pre-
sentation of his arguments to prove
the credibility of this restoration.
Although the proposedrestoration
convinced some scholars, it left
others in doubt and impelled them
to look for an alternative text. Our
examination of the original inscrip-
tion not only confirmed the proposed
reading,but also addednew evidence
to its validity. Wewere able to dis-
cern traces of the last letter of the
wordibyt, which Lemairehad ap-
parently overlooked.As can be seen
on the photograph,the upper two
tips of the x-formedletter taw are
clearly visible at the left of the let-
160 Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990
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ters iby. The addition of this letter
lends substantial weight to the sug-
gested restoration of the inscription.
The word byt having been
established, the restoration of the
8 (Malachi2:11)and "thethings that
Above:Drawing of the inscription, with
missing letters restored,as it would appear
around the shoulder of the pomegranate.
Below: Whenthe suggestedorderof the
restoredinscription is reversedit translates
as: "Sacreddonation for the priests of (in) the
House of Yahweh."It stands to reason that
the "Houseof Yahweh"("Houseof the Lord"
in the English Bible) most probablyrefersto
the Templeof Jerusalem.
next word as yhwh becomes the
more plausible. No other name of a
deity ending with he except yhwh is
in place here. This accepted, there
seems to be no other possible read-
ing than lbyit[yhw]h qd' khnm. The
inscription runs in a continuous
circular line with irregularintervals
between the individual letters and
without separationmarks between
the words.The proposedbeginning
of the inscription with the wordlbyt
is based on the vacant space behind
this word.
In biblical Hebrew,the lamed
preceding a noun without a verb
means "of,""belongingto."8Hence
lbyt yhwh at the beginning of a sen-
tence means: Belonging to the House
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
of Yahweh.The phrase qd' khnm, to
be pronounced qode' kohanim, has
met with much reservationand de-
serves a short comment. Qode',
meaning "holiness,"designates a
thing set apartfor worship;conse-
crated to the Lord;sacreddonation
for priests. Thus, for instance, the
contents of the bowls inscribed with
the word qd' found in severalex-
cavations (see above)were dedicated
to priests or sanctuaries. Qode'
kohanim is but a regularshortened
form of such phrases as: "andthis
shall be a sacreddonation for the
priests"9(Numbers 6:20) or "the
sacred products from the land shall
be for the priests"(Ezekiel 45:6).
Compare similar formations such
as: "thingssacred to the Lord"
David has consecrated"(1Kings 15:5;
1 Chronicles 5:1).
Accordingly,in our case, qd'
khnm should be translated"sacred
donation for the priests."We should
thus regardthe pomegranateas a
donation, an offering, to be used by
the priests during their service in
the Temple. With this in mind, we
are inclined to reversethe previously
suggested orderof the legend and
read:"Sacreddonation for the priests
of (in)the House of Yahweh."The
vacant space,which afterthis amend-
ment is located in the middle of the
inscription and not at its beginning,
may be explained by a miscalculation
of space on the part of the engraver,
or else by a need to skip a defect on
the ivory surface, on the assumption
that it is indeed an old defect. Such a
change of the syntax would facilitate
the interpretationof the legend.
Inview of certain linguistic pecu-
liarities in the Bible text, the expres-
sion ibyt yhwh in this context may
eventually be translated:"inthe
House of Yahweh";comparehkhnym
 Thejuicypomegranate, a popularsymbolof
fertility,waswidelyusedas a symbolicand
decorative motifin the sacredandsecularart
of variousculturesin the ancientNearEast.

However,all these temples were Our revised definition of the

The word qd' (qode', meaning "holiness")
carvedon the pomegranateis very similar to
the same word incised on three contempora-
neous bowls found at Hazor (a), Beersheba
(b),and Arad (c). The word khn (kohen,
meaning "priest"),also engravedon the
pomegranate,has been found on two Hebrew been uncoveredat Arad."This
seals (d and e), probably dating to the second
half of the eighth century B.C.E. Among the
many ostraca discoveredin the fortressof
Arad is a letter addressed to Elyashib in
which he is informed by the words byt yhwh
(f)about a certain person who "sitsin the
House of Yahweh."
'r ibyt yhwh: "thepriests which
were in the House of the Lord"
(Zachariah7:3).
A few remarks on the term
"House of Yahweh"are in place here.
The question has been raised wheth-
er the term "House of Yahweh"or,
as renderedin the English Bible,
"Houseof the Lord,"refers in our in-
scription to the Temple in Jerusalem Aradno longer existed, as it had
as claimed, or ratherto one of the
shrines-sanctuariesoutside of Jeru-
salem. Our knowledge about these
temples is very limited. The Bible
contains only indirect references to
their existence, as in Shiloh, Hebron, considering the above arguments it
Bethlehem, Mizpah, and others.1'
Some of them are referredto as
"Houseof Yahweh"or "Houseof God." cally to the Temple of Jerusalem.
of an early date and precededthe inscription as a dedicatorytext is
Templeof Jerusalem.After Solomon's preferableto its interpretationas
Temple had become the central place designating ownership. It seems un-
of worship, no mention was made in likely that the Temple authorities
the Bible of any other temple, except would have taken the trouble of
that of Bethel, the main temple of marking so laboriously the Temple's
the Northern Kingdom of Israel and ownership on such a tiny and humble
rival sanctuary to the Temple of Jeru- object, which at that time was not
salem; it is called "King'ssanctuary" allotted any particularsignificance.
(Amos 7:13). Still it was important enough to serve
As for shrines or sanctuaries as a donation on behalf of an anony-
which continued to operateunlaw- mous donor.
fully, these could hardlybe expected How then, was our pomegranate
to be referredto as "Houseof Yahweh." used in the Temple?Does the Bible
They were finally destroyedduring referto the use of such objects by
King Josiah's reform in 622 B.C.E.The the priests? Does archaeologicalevi-
only archaeologicalremains of what dence provide any information in
seems to be an Israelite temple dat- this respect?A short comparative
ing to the monarchic period have study of the extant material may
reveal some important data relevant
temple
is not mentioned in the Bible, how- to our subject.
ever.Among the many ostraca dis- The juicy pomegranatefruit
of Arad is a with its multitudinous seeds was a
covered in the fortress
letter addressedto Elyashib in which popular symbol of fertility from the
he is informed about a certain person earliest times.13It was widely used
who "sitsin the House of Yahweh."12 as a symbolic and decorative motif
It is generally believed that this in sacred and secular art of various
letter was written in Jerusalemand cultures throughout the ancient
that the term "House of Yahweh" Near East. The pomegranate(rim-
refersto the Temple in Jerusalem mon in Hebrew)is frequently men-
and not to the shrine at Arad,for tioned in the Bible and is counted
two reasons: 1)Aradwas the place of among the seven kinds of fruit with
destination of the letter; thus the which the country is blessed: "For
person and the temple must have the Lordyour God is bringing you
been outside of Arad;2) When the into a good land - a land of wheat
letter was written (late seventh or and barley,of vines, figs and pome-
early sixth century), the shrine at granates,a land of olive oil and of
honey" (Deuteronomy 8:7-8). The
apparentlybeen destroyedduring rimmon became a favorite symbolic
Josiah'sreform. motif in Jewish art from its earliest
It is beyond the scope of this beginnings down to modern times.
article to discuss the term "House In the sphere of art, ancient Is-
of Yahweh"in greaterdetail, but rael was directly influenced by her
Canaanite-Phoenician neighbors. In
stands to reason that the pomegran- Israel, we meet the pomegranate
ate inscription indeed refers specifi- motif first of all in the Temple of
Solomon. The Bible describes the

Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990 161

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chains formed by hundreds of rim-
monim which decoratedthe capitals
of the two bronze columns, Yakhin
and Boaz, in front of the entrance to
the Temple (1 Kings 7:42;Jeremiah
52:23;2 Chronicles 3:16).
This arrangementof pomegran-
ates recalls the chains of pendants in
the form of pomegranateswhich
surrounda Canaanite bronze cultic
tripod from Ugarit, dating to the
thirteenth century B.C.E.14We may
assume that the Phoenicians who
helped in building Solomon'sTemple
introduced this style of decoration
in Jerusalem.It is of interest to find
two isolated bronze pendants in
Israelite Megiddo (eighth century
B.C.E.)of exactly the same kind as in
Ugarit.'sMoreover,they closely re-
semble the blossom shape of our
ivory pomegranate.
The Bible also describes the
robe of the High Priest, which was
embellished all along its hem with
purple pomegranatesand golden
bells (Exodus28:33-34). It makes no
other mention of pomegranatesin
connection with priests which
would attest to the purpose of our
pomegranate.Divergent suggestions
have been made in this respect: 1)It
served as the head of the "scepter"
used by the High Priest; 2) It was no
more than a decorativepiece on an
altar,or a finial on a throne, a cultic
box, or the like.
I am inclined to subscribe to the
first alternative.Accordingto our
interpretationof the inscription, the
said object must have been used
162 Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990
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personally by the priest during some
ritual act performedin the Temple;
otherwise it would not be termed
qode' kohanim. As the Bible refers
neither to such a ritual object nor to
such a ceremony,we must depend
on external evidence.
The very use of pomegranate-
shaped objects for cultic purposes is
attested to by a number of clay vessels
in the form of globularpomegranates
which were found in various excava-
tions of sites in Israel dating to the
tenth-eighth century B.C.E. They are
either individual vessels or attached
to a bowl or to a kernos (a hollow
ring base on which are mounted
pomegranatesand other objects be-
lieved to have been used for libation).
The pomegranatealso appearsquite
O"
Above left: Thepomegranateappearedas a decorativemotif on Hebrew seals of the eighth-
seventh century B.C.E., as seen here.Above right: Of a much later date is the cluster of
pomegranatesadorningthis Jewish sheqel coin of the first centuryc.E. The inscription reads
"Jerusalemthe Holy"
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The rimmon was a favoritesymbolic motif
in Jewish art from its beginnings,and in this
sphere ancient Israel was directly influenced
by her Canaanite-Phoenicianneighbors.Far
left: This bronzecultic tripodfrom Ugarit,
which dates to the thirteenth century B.C.E.,
has a chain of pendants shaped like pome-
granates. The Bible describes chains formed
by hundreds of rimmonim that decorated the
capitals of the two bronzecolumns, Yakhin
and Boaz, in front of the entrance to the Jeru-
salem Temple.The Phoenicians helped build
Solomon'sTempleand may have introduced
this style of decoration to Jerusalem.Left:
These two pendants fromMegiddo,dating to
the eighth century B.C.E.,are the same kind
as the earlierpomegranate-shapedpendants
from Ugarit. They also resemble the blossom
shape of the ivory pomegranatenow in the
IsraelMuseum.
frequently as a decorative motif on
Hebrew seals of the eighth-seventh
century B.C.E.Of a much later date is
the cluster of pomegranatesthat
adorns the Jewishsheqel coins of
the first century C.E.
The closest and most significant
parallel to our pomegranatecomes
fromthe Britishexcavationat Lachish
conducted in the 1930s.16In a Ca-
naanite temple dating to the thir-
teenth century B.C.E.,many cultic
vessels and ritual artifacts were
uncovered.Among them were two
ivory "scepters."7Each of these con-
sists of a pomegranate-shapedhead
mounted on a rod, 23 centimeters
(9.5 inches) long. One of the heads is
very similar both in shape and size
to our pomegranate;the other is
.
WW
Below, far left: The closest parallels to the pomegranatenow in the Israel Museum are these
two ivory "scepters" uncoveredat Lachishin a Canaanite temple dating to the thirteenthcentury
B.C.E.Each "scepter" consists of a pomegranate-shapedhead mounted on a rod 23 centimeters
long. The one to the left is verysimilar in shape and size to the pomegranatein the Israel
Museum, whereas the one on the right is rounderand somewhat smaller. The function of
these "scepters" is unknown, but the fact that such artifacts were used in a temple helps verify
the origin of the pomegranatein the Israel Museum and indicates that it was probablypart of
such a "scepter." Photographcourtesy of the IsraelAntiquities Authority. These other three
"scepters"were found in tombs also dating to the thirteenth centuryB.C.E. on Cyprus.Below
center:Tvo ivory pins with heads in the shape of a pomegranatewere found in a tomb at
Enkomi. They are the same length as those discoveredat Lachish, and their shape is very
similar to the pomegranatein the Israel Museum. Below, far right: This ivory "scepter" from
Kition is more globular shaped.

rounder and somewhat smaller. The

function served by these "scepters"is
unknown, but the very fact that
such artifacts were used in a temple
is of the greatest importance for our
attempt to verify the origin of the
pomegranatenow in the Israel Mu-
seum, its original shape, and pre-
sumed function. With the evidence
at Lachish, we may be sure that such
objects were used in temples and
that our pomegranatewas part of
such a "scepter." We are still left in
the dark concerning its purpose,
however.
It appearsthat these pomegranate-
headed "scepters"are not as rareas
one would expect, although ours
remains the largest and most grace-
ful among those unearthed so far.In
Cyprus a number of such "scepters"
were found in tombs dating also to
the thirteenth century B.C.E. Their
function is unknown. They are al-
ternately termed spindles, pins for
fastening the dress, and the like.
Especially noteworthy are "twoivory
pins with heads in shape of a pome-
granate"which were found in Tomb3
at Enkomi.'8They are of the same
length as those discoveredat Lachish,
while their shape is similar to that
of our pomegranate.Other speci-
mens, such as that from Kition, are
globular shaped.
Three ivory pomegranates,two
of them attached to rods, were dis-
coveredin a Phoenician tomb at
Akhziv north of Akko.19They are ap-
proximately contemporaneous with
our pomegranate (eighth century

Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990 163

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 Thereis as yet no evidence that
these pomegranate-shaped"scepters"
were actually used as scepters,and
some certainly were not. It is im-
portant, therefore,to point out this
rareexample of a pomegranate-
headed scepterdepicted in the
decoration on an Etruscanmirror
dating to around 300 B.C.E. This
long scepter,topped with a round
pomegranate,is held by Aphrodite
(fromMuthmann1982:45, figure32).
Although of classic ratherthan
Near Easternorigin, and of a late
date, this scepter testifies to the use
of pomegranate-headedsceptersin
ancient times (see note 17).

B.C.E.).A single "scepter,"smaller in

size and made of bone, was uncovered
in the excavations at Tel Serain the
northwesternNegev,20dating to the
late seventh-early sixth century B.C.E.
We thus witness the continuation of
a long tradition.
However,the most significant
find of this kind after that of Lachish
was made quite recently in a tomb at
TelNami on the coast south of Haifa.2
There a skeleton was discoveredwith
two pomegranate-headed"scepters"
placed on top of it. Made of bronze,
they measure approximately30 cen-
timeters (circa 12 inches) in length.
In the same tomb, which dates
to the thirteenth century B.C.E.,was
found a group of exquisite incense
vessels of bronze. The excavator,
Michal Artzy of Haifa University,
suggested that the person interredin
this tomb was a priest and that the
tomb deposits representcultic imple-
ments used by him when perform-
ing his office.
This find from TelNami, indicat-

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 FindsfromLachishandTelNamisupportthe
viewthattheinscribed pomegranatewaspart
of a pomegranate-headed usedby
"scepter"
thepriestsin the serviceof theTemple.
ingthatthepomegranate-headed "scep-
ters"hadprobably belongedto apriest,
supplementsthe findfromLachish,
which, as we saw,atteststo their
beingusedin a temple.In combina-
tion, the two findsconfirmthe sug-
gestedinterpretation of ourinscribed
pomegranate, namely:1)that it was
of a
part pomegranate-headed "scep-
ter";2)thatit wasdestinedforpriests;
and3) that it was usedin a temple.
Whatis still left openis the
questionof how andwhen this scep-
terwasusedin the Temple.It stands
to reasonthat it servedthe priests
duringsomekindof ceremonywhich
tookplacein the Temple.The Bible,
however,makesno mentionof any
suchritualceremoniesor of the use
of such symbolic"scepters" in the
of
Temple Jerusalem.
Nonetheless,we must allowfor
the possibilitythat certaincultic
ritesperformedin the Templemay
haveincludedsome ceremonialcus-
toms of marginalsignificanceand
the use of auxiliarycultic utensils
whichareneitherdescribednorlisted
in the Bible.Take,forinstance,the
offeringof the firstfruits- a major
eventin the cult of the Temple.The
Biblerelatesverylittle aboutthe
ceremonieswhich wereperformed
duringthese offerings,whereasthe
Mishna(Bikkurim3:2-8)describes
the festivecelebrationswhich took
placeduringthis event.Theyincluded
processionsof officiantfruitbearers
proceedingto the Templeaccom-
paniedby music, songs,andprayers
until the basketscontainingthe first
Other ancient Near Easternpeoples apparentlyused the pomegranatein their religious cere-
monies, as evidenced by these Assyrian wall reliefs from palaces dating to the ninth-eighth fruitswerehandedoverto the priests.
century B.C.E.Opposite page: The offeringbearerdepicted in this relief from Nimrud, now in The choiceof the firstfruitbelonged
The British Museum, holds a kid to be offeredup on his left arm and carries a stalk with to the priests (Ezekiel 4:30).
pomegranatesin his right hand. Above:In this relief from Khorsabad,now in the Louvrein
Paris,the leading offeringbearerholds a goat on his left arm and carries a stalk with a lotus Here we suggest an imaginary
blossom in his right hand. Both the pomegranateand the lotus had a symbolic significance, scenario in which the priest, receiv-
perhaps comparable to that of the ivory pomegranate"scepter" in the Israel Museum.
ing baskets containing three kinds of

Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990 165

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fruit - grapes, figs, and pomegran-
ates - and putting them on the altar,
performed some kind of ritual act
during which he made use of a sym-
bolic pomegranate-headed "scepter,"
such as the one discussed here.
We may, perhaps, find support
for such an assumption in the cus-
toms of other ancient peoples. Of
special interest are the sacral scenes
depicted on the Assyrian wall reliefs
of the ninth-eighth century B.C.E.
palaces of Nimrud, Nineveh, and
Khorsabad. Some of these reliefs de-
pict processions of offering bearers
with branches of pomegranates in
their hands?2 They are described as
representing divinities, priests, and
worshipers. One of the leading fig-
ures carries a kid to be offered up in
one hand and holds a stalk with
pomegranates in the other. A second
figure carries a goat and holds a stalk
with lotus blossom. Both pomegran-
ate and lotus here have a symbolic
significance, just as that which we
would like to ascribe to our pome-
granate "scepter."
Conclusions
Our conclusions on the subject are
of two kinds - definitive and ten-
tative. I am fully convinced of the
genuineness of the ivory pomegran-
ate, the authenticity of its inscrip-
tion, and its use in a sacred service of
the priests in the Temple of Yahweh.
To this effect the epigraphicalevi-
dence alone, in my opinion, is abso-
lutely convincing. It is also supported
to some extent by archaeologicalevi-
dence. The Temple of Yahwehwas
most probablythat of Jerusalem.
These conclusions determine the
historical, religious, and cultural
importance of our pomegranate.
I am less certain about the sec-
ondary issue, namely, how exactly
the object was used. My assumptions,
raised above, are based on what ap-
pears to be relevant comparative
material. No decisive evidence is
available to date from which to draw
final conclusions on this particular
point, however. Future finds or new
166 Biblical Archaeologist, September 1990
This content downloaded from 109.149.23.221 on Thu, 3 Jul 2014 22:47:42 PM
suggestions may shed additional Fosse Temple(OxfordUniversity Press,
light on this intriguing ivory pome- 1940),p. 62, pl. XX:25,26.
granatewhose inscription invests it '7The term "scepter"is arbitraryin
with supreme significance. this context, and the objects are not
identified as such by the excavators.It is
used here as a terminus technicus and
Notes does not attest a priori to the object's
This article is an adaptedreprintfrom function. So far there is no evidence that
the Israel Museum Journal(VolumeVIII, objects of this specific kind were indeed
1989:7-16). The article and all illustra- used as scepters,and some of them cer-
tions are published courtesy of the Israel tainly were not. The example cited by
Museum Journal. Lemaireof an Assyrianking holding such
'A. Lemaire,"Une inscription paleo- a scepter is vague and unconvincing.
hebraiquesur grenadeen ivoire,"Revue Lookingfor parallels among Assyrian
Biblique 88 (1981),pp. 236-239. reliefs one should not be misled by the
2Ibid."ProbableHead of Priestly globularhead of the royalmace held by
ScepterFromSolomon'sTemple Surfaces Assyriankings as a symbol of their sov-
in Jerusalem,"Biblical Archaeology ereignty (see J.B. Pritchard,The Ancient
Review 10 (1984),pp. 24-29; see also H. Near East in Pictures Relating to the
Shanks,"Pomegranate,Sole Relic From Old Testament [Princeton, 1954],nos.
Solomon'sTemple,Smuggledout of Israel, 442, 576). It is thereforeof special inter-
Now Recovered," Moment, The Magazine est to point out a very rareexample of a
of Jewish Culture and Opinion 13 (1988), pomegranatescepter depicted on an
pp. 36-43. Etruscan mirror of circa 300 B.C.E.This
3ApudLemaire(above,n. 2) p. 29, box. long scepter is toppedwith a round
4Y. Yadinet al., Hazor III-V (Jeru- pomegranateand held by Aphrodite
salem, 1961),pls. CCCLVII:4; CCCLVIII:4. (Muthmann[above,n. 13],p. 45, fig. 32;
5Y.Aharoni, ed., Beer Sheba, I (Tel with referenceto E. Gerhard,Etruskische
Aviv 1973),p. 73, pls. 42:4;69:2. SpiegelI, 2 [1845],Taf.181).This example,
6Y.Aharoni,Arad Inscriptions (Jeru- albeit late in date and of classic rather
salem, 1988),inscription no. 104. than Near Easternorigin, testifies to the
7N. Avigad,"ThePriest of Dor,"Israel use of pomegranate-headedscepters in
ExplorationJournal25 (1975),p. 101, ancient times.
pl. 10:D;J.Elayi, "Lesceau de pretre '8E. Gjerstadet al., The Swedish
Hanan, fils de Hilqiyahu,"Semitica 36 CyprusExpedition, II, Plates, pl.
(1986),p. 45. LXXVIII:240, 241; idem, IV,Part 1D,L.
8y. Yadin,"AFurtherNote on the and P.Astr6m, The Late CyprioteBronze
Lamed in the SamariaOstraca,"Israel Age, pp. 550, 610, fig. 74:14;on specimen
ExplorationJournal18 (1968),pp. 50-51. from Kition, see H. G. Buchholz and V.
9Translation:The Jewish Publica- Karageorghis,PrehistoricGreece and
tion Society of America. Cyprus(New York, 1973),p. 479:1746.
10M.Haran,Templesand Temple- 19Unpublished,courtesy of
Service in Ancient Israel (Oxford,1978). M. Prausnitz.
11Y.Aharoni,"TheIsraelite Sanc-
20Unpublished,courtesy of E. Oren.
tuary at Arad,"New Directions in Bibli- 21I am gratefulto Michal Artzy for
cal Archaeology,ed. D. N. Freedmanand an informativediscussion and for her
J.C. Greenfield (GardenCity, New York, permission to make mention of the yet
1969),pp. 25-39. unpublished material.
12Y. Aharoni (above,n. 6), inscrip- 22EncyclopidiePhotographiquede
tion no. 18. l'Art, L'artMesopotamie ancienne au
3F.Muthmann, Der Granatapfel, Musdedu Louvre,V (Paris,1936),p. 307;
Symbol des Lebens in der alten Weit R. D. Barnettand M. Falkner,The Sculp-
(Bern,1982). tures of Tiglath Pileser III (745-727 B.C.)
14E A. Schaeffer,"LesFouilles de
(London,1962),pls. CXXVI-CXXVII;
Minet el-Beidaet de Ras Shamra,"Syria E. A. W.Budge,Assyrian Sculpturesin
10 (1929),p1.60:1. the British Museum (London,1914),
15Y.Yadin,Hazor:The Rediscovery p1.48:78.
ofa Great Citadel of the Bible (New York:
RandomHouse, 1975),p. 224 (bottom).
160. Tufnell et al., Lachish II, The
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