Ben Reihanian S2B9 - “The Lord of the Desert” is in Jerusalem

 “The Lord of the Desert” is in Jerusalem


            A rare carved stele from the early fourth century BCE, which had been hidden in the Israel Museum's storage rooms for a long time, was put on special display on March 8 at the museum. The towering stele—a standing relief constructed of a stone slab carved with figurative images—is exceptional not only for its life-like size: it stands 1.74 meters tall (5.7 feet) and weighs 350 kilograms (771 pounds), but also for its extremely well-preserved state despite being shattered into two pieces.

The stele, known as "The Lord of the Desert," was discovered in 2017 during an inventory of the Iron Age storage, where it had been placed wrongly since its arrival shortly after the museum's foundation in 1965.

The stele has been put on display for the first time after a five-year restoration procedure led by Laura A. Peri, curator of Western Asiatic Antiquities at the museum.

She mentioned that they don't know much about this particular stele or how it ended up in the museum. All they know is that it has been at the museum since its inception. Restoring it and putting up the exhibit was a very difficult and complicated mission since it is quite heavy and does not have a base, therefore it is not stable. 

​​A bearded man with a long necklace and a band around his head, resembling the agal that holds the keffiyeh in place, is depicted on the stele. His chest and back are crossed by three parallel cords with a long tool running through them. His waist is adorned with a double-bladed dagger connected to a belt.

This is a really early and spectacular, one-of-a-kind artifact that is finally available for public observation, Peri added. There is no other object in the world like this.  The figurative carved motifs are magnificent, and the size is massive. They cut him from all angles, emphasizing the eyes and mouth, as well as the lengthy necklace and the dagger belt.


Do you want to see this stele in person?




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