Window into the Bible
Construction and Stone Masonry
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Palm Fibre Rope
Date: 1503 – 1473 BC (Reign of Hatshepsut) Place: Deir el-Bahari
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Made from palm fibre, used to haul stone and timber at construction sites.
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Rahab used a rope to let the spies escape from Jericho: ‘ So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.’ (Joshua 2:15)
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Basket for moving Construction Rubble
Date: 1503 – 1473 (Reign of Hatshepsut) Place: Deir el-Bahari
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Made from palm fibre.
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Scale Model of a Rocker
Date: 1503 – 1473 (Reign of Hatshepsut) Place: Deir el-Bahari
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Inscribed with the name of Hatshepsut. These rockers were thought to have been used for moving or positioning large stone blocks.
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Adze
Date: 1324 – 1321 BC (Reign of Aye, 18th Dynasty) Place: Luzor, Medinet Habu
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Made of wood, copper alloy and leather.
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Selection of Miniature Tools
Date: 1479 – 1425 BC (Reign of Thuthmoses III) Place: Deir el-Bahari
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
This selection of miniature tools were placed in a recess in the foundations of the temple at Deir el-Bahari (see also brick mould above)
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Plasterers Trowel
Date: Unknown Place: Egypt
Photographed at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London, England. |
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Wooden Rake
Date: Unknown Place: Egypt
Photographed at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London, England. |
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Lashing for an Axe
Date: unknown Place: Egypt
Photographed at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London, England. |
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Halfa Grass Rope
Date: 1010 – 890 BC Place: Tomb of Sety I in the Valley of the Kings.
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England. |
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Sculptors Tools
Wooden Mallet Date: 1185 – 1070 BC Place: Thebes, Egypt
Bronze Chisel Date: 1325 – 1321 BC (Reign of Aye) Place: Mortuary Temple of Aye, Luxor
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. |
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Mason’s Mallet
Date: 1300 BC Place: Deir el-Bahari, Thebes, Egypt
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
1 Kings 6:7 describes the building of Solomon’s Temple:
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In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. (1 Kings 6:7)
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Axe Head
Date: unknown Place: Tell Asmar
Photographed at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. |
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Whetstone in the Form of a Stag
Date: Early first millennium BC Place: Caucasus Region
Photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA.
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Bronze.
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Mason’s Tools
Stylis (left) for marking the surface Date: 1400 – 1200 BC. Place: Ialyssos, Rhodes, Greece
Dividers (centre) Date: 1st century AD Place: probably Roman
Square (right) Date: 1st – 3rd century AD Place: Ephesus [Turkey]
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
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Isaiah 44:13 describes the futile construction of a false god: The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. (Isaiah 44:13)
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Carpenter’s House (Reproduction)
Photographed at Nazareth Village, Nazareth, Israel.
The carpenter's house shows the type of tools and implements in use at the time of Jesus.
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Relief showing Chisel and Mallet
Date: 2nd century AD Place: Roman
Photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA.
Made from marble
One of the most famous acts of stone work in the Bible was when Moses was commanded by God to chisel the stones for the ten commandments:
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“Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. (Exodus 34:1)
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Bronze Tools
Date: Roman Imperial period Place: Roman (place unknown)
Bronze folding foot rule (top left) Bronze set square (bottom left) Pair of bronze proportional compasses (top and bottom right)
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England. |
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Mason’s Tool (replica)
Photographed at Nazareth Village, Nazareth, Israel. |
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Mason’s Tools
Date: 1st – 3rd century AD Place: Top (iron) probably from Linthes [France] Bottom (bronze) probably from Florence, Italy
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
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This pick hammers have blunt and sharp ends for knocking and cutting stone to shape.
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Wood Plane
Date ca. 300 AD. Place: Uttfeld, Germany (Both)
Photographed at the Landesmuseum, Trier, Germany.
Made from wood and iron (replicas of how they would have originally looked can be seen on the extra images in the slider).
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Plumb Bob
Details unknown
Photographed at the Limesmuseum, Aalen, Germany.
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So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. (Isaiah 28:16-17)
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Bronze Plumb Bob
Date: Roman Imperial period Place: Unknown
Photographed at the British Museum, London, England.
Inscribed with BASSI meaning ‘belonging to Bassus’
This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” I replied. |
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. (Amos 7:7-8)