Image Details
Collections of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums/Photo: Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Phoenician ivory from the Israelite palace in Samaria. One of more than 500 fragments dated to the ninth or eighth century B.C., this panel depicts Heh, the Egyptian deity representing “thousands of years.” In each hand, Heh grasps a palm branch, from which an ankh sign hangs. The Phoenicians often incorporated Egyptian motifs like this into their carving. Such pagan symbolism on the ivories may have infuriated Amos as much as the excessive luxury and affluence that they reflected.