This remarkably lifelike, 7-inch-tall bronze right hand dating to sometime in the first centuries C.E. was crafted to capture every detail of the human hand, from the slight curvatures of the palm and fingers to the delicate skin creases around the finger joints and wrist. According to the Greek inscription incised on the forearm, the hand was dedicated by “Zenon and Nikousa” who “made a vow” and “received satisfaction.” Although the exact archaeological context of the find is unknown (it was discovered during a 19th-century French expedition to Saida [Biblical Sidon] in modern Lebanon), the inscription, together with the […]
