Lost treasures of the Bible : understanding the Bible through archaeological artifacts in world museums / Clyde E. Fant and Mitchell G. Reddish. [print]

Creation and flood stories. Enuma Elish, the epic of creation -- Sumerian creation myths -- The epic of Atrahasis -- The epic of Gilgamesh -- Sumerian King list -- Israel's ancestral, Exodus, and settlement periods. Ram caught in a thicket -- The Rosetta Stone -- Amarna tablets -- Akhenaten: Stela and panel, adoration of the Aten -- The birth legend of Sargon -- The mummy of Ramesses II -- Mud brick of Ramesses II -- The treaty of Kadesh -- The law code of Hammurabi -- Middle Assyrian laws, Tablet A -- Merneptah stela (or, Israel stela) -- Calf statuette and model shrine -- Philistine cult stand with musicians -- Stela of Baal of the Lightning -- Cylinder seal of El and Baal -- Myths of the Baal cycle -- The period of the monarchy. Gezer calendar -- Mesha stela (Moabite stone) -- Tel Dan inscription -- Ivory plaque mentioning Hazael -- Samaria ivories -- Nimrud ivories -- The Kurkh monolith of Shalmaneser III -- The black obelisk of Shalmaneser III -- Shema seal of Megiddo -- Reliefs from the central palace of Tiglath-Pileser III at Nimrud -- Annals of Tiglath-Pileser III -- Palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad -- The epitaph of Uzziah -- Seal of Shebnayau, servant of Uzziah -- Hezekiah's tunnel inscription -- Horned altar of Beer-Sheba -- Sanctuary of Arad -- Shebna inscription from Silwan -- The Taylor prism -- Bull inscription of Sennacherib: the tribute of Hezekiah -- Scenes from Sennacherib's southwest palace at Nineveh -- Siege of Lachish -- Stela of Esarhaddon -- Stela of Ashurbanipal -- Wall reliefs from Ashurbanipal's palaces at Nineveh -- Tablet naming Gyges of Lydia -- Cylinder of Nabopolassar -- Babylonian chronicle, 616-609 B.C.E. -- The fall of Nineveh -- Ishtar gate and processional way of Babylon -- Arad Ostracon mentioning "House of Yahweh" -- Babylonian chronicle, 605-595 B.C.E. -- The capture of Jerusalem -- Lachish letters -- Babylonian rations: the Judean royal house as prisoners.

The period of the Babylonian exile. Lamentation over the destruction of Ur -- The Nabonidus chronicle -- Nabonidus cylinder mentioning Belshazzar -- The legend of Aqhat -- Poetry and wisdom literature. Sumerian proverbs tablet -- Sumerian love poem -- The great hymn to Osiris -- Dialogue between a man and his God -- Ludlul Bel Nemeqi, "the Babylonian job" -- The Persian period. The Cyrus cylinder -- Frieze of archers -- Column capital from Persepolis -- Silver bowl of Artaxerxes I -- Column base with inscription of Artaxerxes II -- The Hellenistic period -- Statue and head of Alexander the Great -- Head and coin of Antiochus IV -- The Roman period. Equestrian statue of Augustus -- Bust and silver Denarius of Tiberius -- The Galilee boat -- Pontius Pilate inscription -- Ossuary of the High Priest Caiaphas -- Heel bone of a crucifixion victim -- Ossuary of Simon, "Builder of the Temple" -- "Place of trumpeting" inscription -- Temple warning inscription -- Head of Caligula -- Head of Claudius -- The Gallio inscription at Delphi -- Letter from Apion -- Diploma granting Roman citizenship -- Market gate of Miletus -- Winged victory of Samothrace -- Statues of Artemis -- Theodotus Synagogue inscription -- Synagogue inscription at Corinth -- Model body parts dedicated to Asclepius -- Politarch inscription at Thessalonica -- Relief of Praetorian guard -- Head of Nero -- Menorah and burnt house -- Head of Vespasian and statue of Titus -- Judea Capta coin -- The great altar of Pergamum -- Head and arm of a statue of Domitian -- Statue of Trajan.

Ancient biblical texts. Silver scroll amulets: the oldest Biblical text ever discovered -- The Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls -- The Aleppo Codex -- Papyrus 52: Oldest fragment of the New Testament -- Codex Sinaiticus -- Codex Alexandrinus -- The Gospel of Thomas from the Nag Hammadi writings -- Sensational finds: genuine of forgery? The James ossuary, the Ivory Pomegranate, and the Baruch Bulla.

Lost Treasures of the Bible contains detailed descriptions and photographs of biblically significant archaeological objects housed in over twenty-five museums worldwide. This selection of more than one hundred artifacts, many of them relatively unknown, illuminates the history, culture, and practices of the biblical world as a whole. Each entry also outlines that particular object's relevance for understanding the Bible. To assemble this amazing collection, Clyde Fant and Mitchell Reddish themselves traveled to each of these museums throughout the world. Their photographs, descriptions, and histories of the various artifacts enable readers to appreciate these significant objects to an extent not usually enjoyed by even the most experienced museum visitors. Each artifact is located not only as to its museum site but also by its specific identification number, which is particularly valuable for smaller and lesser-known objects -- true "lost treasures."--Publisher.