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Collection Israel Museum, Jerusalem/Photo ©Israel Museum, by Nahum Slapak

This small ivory pomegranate bears an inscription reading “(Belonging) to the temple of [Yahwe]h, holy to the priests.” It, too, has also been declared a forgery by a committee of the Israel Antiquities Authority, despite having been previously authenticated by several leading experts. BAR has defended the authenticity of the inscription. If authentic, this may be the only surviving relic from Solomon’s Temple.