| 
The Art of the Divided Kingdom
By Bonnie Oswald,
BFA, MA
The period between the time of King Solomon and the Assyrian conquest
of the Kingdom of Israel was one of turmoil. Kings came to power
in Judah and Israel, some worshiping the Lord, but most relying
on their own vanity and might. The most interesting art of the period
related to these kings, with the lavish trappings of kingship belonging
to Ahab of major interest.
We are told
in 1 Kings 22:39 that Ahab built an "Ivory House."
Unless ivory-bearing animals were much larger in those days, it
would be impossible to build a house of ivory. However, Phoenician
artists decorated furniture and other room embellishments with ivory
inlays, and it is presumed that is what was meant. It was a sign
of wealth.
Assyrians
loved the ivory carvings, as did the Israelites, and confiscated
much of these ivory decorations when they conquered Israel. In fact,
in the ruins of Ahab's palace in Samaria, over 200 pieced of carved
ivory were found. Some may have come from the time of his son.
Several
examples are shown here:
Piece of an ivory balustrade found
in the ruins of Ahab's palace, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Tree of Life ivory embellishment,
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Sphinx Ivory decoration from Ahab's palace, 9th C BCE, Israel Museum,
Jerusalem
Stag drinking water, ivory, Samaria, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Another
treasure found from this period is an opal signet ring, possibly
from Jezebel. Such rings were carved into precious stones, and used
to stamp into clay, to seal communications. It is of Egyptian craftsmanship,
and the name Jezebel was added later, and the letters were fit around
the design. The provenance is unknown, but only royalty could afford
and use such rings, and signet rings were rare for women, denoting
that this must have been an important woman. It is unusually large.
Seal of Jezebel, 8th-9th C. BCE, opal 1 1/4x7/8x3/8 inches, Jerusalem
Museum, Israel.
The
Moabite Stone, also known as the Mesha Stele, is from this period
and one of the few extra-biblical items referring to Israel. There
was warfare between the Moabites and Israel beginning at the death
of Solomon. At the time that the Moabite King Mesha conquered Israel,
he had had a commemorative stele sculpted of black basalt, bearing
an inscription recording the victory. It is 1 1/2 meters tall, smoothly
polished, and rounded at the top. When it was discovered in Jordan
in 1868, the superstitious Arabs of the area broke it into many
pieces. A copy had been made, and most of the pieces recovered and
reassembled.
The lines
of the inscription tell how Moab was conquered by Omri, and then
Moab conquered his son (Ahab) with the help of the Moabite god Chemish.
See 2 Kings 3:4-27. Ahab was eventually able to retake Moab. Tribute
was then paid to Ahab.
Moabite stone, Black basalt, Louvre Museum, Paris
One other
interesting plaque is that mentioning King Uzziah, king of Judah.
Uzziah, who initially was righteous and worshiped the Lord, was
a good king. He worked to build up the kingdom, fortifying city
walls and strengthening defenses. He encouraged the worship of the
Lord for many years until he finally slipped into apostasy. He was
stricken with leprosy, and was banned from the temple. He lived
a life of seclusion until his death.
This
plaque, bearing his name, was found in a Russian Orthodox monastery
on the Mount of Olives. It reads, "To this place, the bones
of King Uzziah, King of Judah, were placed. Do not disturb."
It was written in the 1st Century A.D. to commemorate the reburial
of his bones.
Plaque, 13x14 inches, telling of the reburial of King Uzziah
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2006 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
