The Jordan Valley vessel with pierced handles is the oldest pot
at The Bible Land Shop, dating from the Chalcolithic Period in
the fourth millenium B.C. (that's 4,000-3,000 B.C.),
way
before the Patriarchs were even born. According to biblical
timelines, that places the origin of this pot sometime within
the first ten generations, between Adam and Noah!
The
original, found in the Jordan Valley along the Jordan River, has
a type of pierced handles that were confined to this period:
they were made by applying a lump of clay to each side of the
pot, then thrusting a stick through the lumps. This created
holes through which a rope could be passed and tied over top a
lid, forming a storage vessel impenetrable to insects.
Archaeologists still know relatively little about the
Chalcolithic Period in the Jordan Valley (it is a lot of layers
down, you know), but the original Jordan Valley vessel on which
this one was modeled can be seen in the Rockefeller Museum in
Jerusalem today, along with all the interesting things they
did learn from it.
The Jordan Valley Pottery Kit
contains:
• potsherds buried in sand;
• glue (for sticking together potsherds);
• paintbrush (for applying glue);
• plaster (for filling in holes);
• spatula (for applying plaster);
• balloon (for applying plaster in some pieces);
• complete instructions and a welcome to the world of archaeology by
Perli Pelzig (English & Hebrew);
• scroll explaining the beginnings of ancient pottery (English &
Hebrew);
• a display card containing interesting information about the
origin, usage, and history of your pot (English & Hebrew).
Assembled Size: 5.5 X
5.5 X 8 inches
