The Inscribed Pomegranate from the "House of the Lord"

Since it was acquired by the Israel Museum in 1988, a thumb-sized pomegranate carved in ivory and bearing an ancient Hebrew inscription has stirred worldwide interest-and for good reason. Dated on palaeographic grounds to the eighth century B.C.E., the pomegranate is believed to be the only archaeological find known to date that can be associated with Solomon's Temple and the sacred services practiced there.