The Brandt-Lewis Family Center for Ancient Jewelry and Artifacts in the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel will house and showcase all finds that were excavated and will be excavated in the future.
The current collections of ancient jewelry, seals and artifacts contain more than 15,000 complete objects and thousands of indicative fragments. The future Center is designed to be an active and growing facility, able to hold more than 25,000 objects in optimal environmental conditions, providing long shelf life for the objects, as well as easy access for students, researchers, archaeologists and the general public to view, study and research the collections.
The Collections
The ancient jewelry, seals and artifacts collections of the Israel Antiquities Authority are the only ones of their kind in the world. The remarkable collections provide an overview of various aspects of the material culture in the Land of Israel and include:
7,000 jewelry objects including beads, bracelets, earrings, pendants, rings, necklaces, chains, bands, combs and inlays in a wide range of materials: gold, silver, shell, ivory, glass, carnelian and rock crystal.
8,000 objects in pottery, stone, tin, faience and carnelian, including seals, cylindrical seals, bullae, scarabs, gems, seal impressions, LMLK handles, rosetta handles, YHD handles, Rhodes handles, and official weights.
5,000 ritual and religious objects in clay, stone, faience and alabaster, including zoomorphicamulets, zoomorphic figurines, zoomorphic small jars, divine figures, semi-divine figures, votive tools, and alabstrons.
2,500 daily life objects in clay, pottery, limestone, basalt, metal, including whorl spindles, toggle pins, grindstones, mortars, board games, stone dice, and toys.
Our experienced curators are in charge of all issues relating to the collections and provide expertise to archaeologists from Israel and from around the world. Our curators study and publish the finds, and advise on all issues relating to jewelry, seals and artifacts in the collections of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
One of the unique and fascinating features of the Brandt-Lewis Center for Ancient Jewelry and Artifacts in the National Campus will be the rare opportunity for the public to view the unique collections in the housing facility and have direct guided access to Israel's National Treasures. This remarkable feature is an important and dramatic example of the IAA's mission to provide increasingly enhanced accessibility to its vast collections.