Materials

Lesson Objectives: In this unit, students will learn about the natural resources that are present in the Middle East and the variety of ways that they were used in ancient times. They will discuss the decorative and functional qualities of various materials and their capacity to reveal status in the Torah. During this unit’s hands-on project, students will bead their own jewelry.

Guiding Thematic Questions:

  • What sorts of materials are used to make jewelry? weapons? utilitarian objects? etc?
  • Where do material resources come from? How do we get them?
  • Why are certain materials used to create certain objects and not others?
  • Why are some materials considered more precious than others?

Historical Context:

  • Some of the most ancient jewelry objects dating back to the ancient Middle East from the 3rd millennium BC were excavated from Queen Puabi’s tomb at Ur in Sumer including robes made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, carnelian, agate, and chalcedony beads, gold pins and amulets, diadems, rings, gold earrings, and necklaces of semi precious stones.
  •  The breastplate worn by the high priests of the Israelites was described in Exodus as attached to a tunic made of 3 colors of dyed wool and linen and decorated with 4 rows of 3 engraved gems set in gold.
  • There are 6 different types of metal mentioned in the Hebrew Bible– gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead. They are mentioned in different contexts such as descriptions of products they were used to create as well as descriptions of mining and extraction methods.

Fun Facts:

  • The national stone of Israel today is called the “Eilat Stone” which is a mixture of azurite and malachite, two types of stones whose colors are caused by a specific mineral naturally occurring within them: Copper.

Object Images:

Bead Necklace
Sumerian
3rd Millennium BCE
Lapis lazuli, gold
27”
Carlos Museum, Emory University
2002.18.1

Bowl
Early Bronze Age Palestine (Jericho excavations)
3300-3050 BCE
Ceramic
5.5” x 2.25”
Carlos Museum, Emory University
1955.115

Pair of Earrings
Iron Age
1st millennium BCE
Gold
1” diameter
Carlos Museum, Emory University
2003.2.1AB

Beads
Early Bronze Age Palestine (Jericho excavations)
3300-3050 BCE
Carnelian, Green stones, Limestone
4.5”
Carlos Museum, Emory University
1955.97

Coin of Herod the Great
Roman Period Jerusalem

37-4 BCE
Bronze
0.75”
Carlos Museum, Emory University
2006.11.1


Classroom Discussion Questions:

Name some of the materials that we have seen in other discussions about ancient objects.

List a few natural resources that were accessible in the ancient Middle East. Do we still use these materials today?

Think of some examples in the Torah where the importance of materials is emphasized.

How might someone make an item or object “precious,” even if it was made out of common materials?

What can the materials used and objects left behind by an ancient society tell us about them?


Project: Jewelry Making

Materials:

  • key chains (optional), wire or string
  • various beads

Instructions:

  1. give each students wire/string and a selection of beads
  2. add beads until you’ve achieved your desired length
  3. finish your bracelet, necklace, keychain, etc. by tying it off