Image Details
Zev Radovan, courtesy Israel Museum
ON THE COVER: A life-size head of an Ammonite king is one of the outstanding artifacts in the 850-piece archaeological collection of the late Moshe Dayan. Now acquired by the Israel Museum, the collection is spotlighted in this issue (see “The Dayan Saga—The Man and His Archaeological Collection,” by Leroy Aarons). The limestone head, bearing a crown, is said to have been unearthed in the vicinity of Amman, a name which even today preserves its Ammonite origin. The Ammonites lived east of the Jordan during the Israelite Monarchy and often came into conflict with the Israelite. The bearded king wears earrings; in Biblical times men frequently wore jewelry.