Sunday, August 06, 2006

Black Obelisk

Black Obelisk Magen David

Picture copied from Wikipedia entry:Black Obelisk

There's a sort of a six-pointed star on the "Black Obelisk" of Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC) discovered in Nimrud in northern Iraq. The obelisk had been erected in 825 BCE. It is the earliest ancient description of an Israelite. Archaeologist Sir Henry Layard discovered it in 1846.

There are twenty reliefs on this obelisk describing subdued kings. In one of them this six-pointed star is above King Jehu's head. The translation of the Assyrian caption above the scene is:

The tribute of Jehu, son of Omri: I received from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king [and] spears.

2 comments:

zeevveez said...

the quote of Scholem is from
http://www.hashkafah.com/index.php?showtopic=12872&st=0

zeevveez said...

I found on http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Wicca%20&%20Witchcraft/star_of_david.htm that
William F. Dankenbring suspects this "star of david". He says there:
"I found the illustration he mentioned in Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest, by David M. Rohl (Crown Publishers, New York, 1995). It is on page 33. It is a panel from the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, showing either Jehu or his representative bowing and scraping before the Assyrian king. The so-called “Star of David” high on the wall behind the bowing figure, however, is hardly convincing. It is nothing like two intersecting, interlaced triangles at all. It looks more like a wheel with six spokes – much like a chariot wheel (or even the nautical “wheel” used to steer a ship or boat). This picture hardly proves the Star of David was the seal of state of ancient Israel".