Image Details
David Harris, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lent by the Israel Department of Antiquities
Copper treasure: These objects belong to a magnificent hoard of more than 400 copper pieces discovered in the Judean wilderness near the Dead Sea. The treasure—the masterwork of a highly developed copper-working technology—was hidden in a cave in the Chalcolithic period (fourth millennium B.C.). At top is a “crown”; to the right is a jar with a basket handle. Other implements include mace heads, scepters and a horn-shaped object. The pieces were probably used in cultic rites.