Ancient Silver Goblet Unearthed in West Bank May Depict Earliest Cosmic Creation Scene
JERUSALEM, Israel — A small silver goblet discovered more than five decades ago in the West Bank is now believed to contain the world’s oldest-known depiction of cosmic creation, according to new research published in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society. The ˁAin Samiya goblet, unearthed in 1970 from a sealed shaft tomb near the Palestinian town of Kafr Malik, dates to the Intermediate Bronze Age, approximately 2650 to 1950 B.C., and is reshaping scholarly understanding of how ancient civilizations envisioned the origins of the universe.
Geoarchaeologist Eberhard Zangger, president of the Switzerland-based organization Luwian Studies and lead author of the study, explained that the cup portrays two highly detailed scenes that symbolize the moment of cosmic creation — the transition from primordial chaos to an ordered cosmos. “On the left, we see a bull-man: a human upper body with two faces, joined to two bull hindquarters, totaling four legs,” Zangger said. “On the right, two human figures once stood, although only one remains fully preserved today. Together, they hold a semicircular arch in which a radiant, human-like face appears.”
Both panels feature serpents, with the left scene dominated by a serpent figure and the right showing a more subdued serpent presence. This iconography is interpreted as a visual representation of tohu wa-bohu, a Hebrew term describing the chaotic, formless state preceding creation, a concept echoed in ancient Near Eastern mythology and later Greek philosophy. The goblet’s imagery offers a rare, graphic insight into how early societies conceptualized the universe’s birth.
Previously, the ˁAin Samiya goblet had been subject to various interpretations, but Zangger’s analysis suggests it is unique in its explicit portrayal of primordial chaos and cosmic formation. “What makes this goblet extraordinary is that it provides, for the first time, a visual narrative of the undifferentiated state before creation,” he said. “It sheds light on a worldview that spanned a vast geographical region and endured for at least two millennia.”
Archaeologists believe the artist who crafted the goblet was likely connected to the Third Dynasty of Ur in southern Mesopotamia, now modern-day southern Iraq, indicating cultural exchanges across the ancient Near East. The goblet’s discovery in the West Bank underscores the region’s significance as a crossroads of early civilization and myth-making.
Such findings contribute to a broader understanding of ancient cosmologies, which often depicted the universe emerging from chaos through divine or mythic acts. The goblet’s imagery aligns with other ancient creation myths but stands out for its early date and detailed artistic execution.
The ˁAin Samiya goblet is currently preserved in regional archaeological collections, and its study exemplifies how modern scientific methods and interdisciplinary research can reinterpret artifacts long held in museum archives. For those interested in the intersection of archaeology and ancient cosmology, the goblet offers a tangible link to humanity’s earliest attempts to explain existence.
Further details on the goblet’s context and the study’s findings are available through the Archaeological Institute of America and the National Park Service’s Archaeology Program, which support research into ancient artifacts and cultural heritage preservation.
This discovery not only enriches our knowledge of Bronze Age art but also invites renewed reflection on how ancient peoples grappled with the mysteries of creation — a quest that continues to inspire humanity today.
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