Summary: A rare, well-preserved bronze mirror discovered in a Greek courtesan’s 2,300-year-old grave in Jerusalem sheds light on the Hellenistic period and the Bible.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. – 1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)
A Greek Grave in Jerusalem
Mirrors in the ancient world were more common than you might think. Although not of the quality of modern varieties, polished metal mirrors did give dim reflections. Examining a recent discovery of an exceptionally preserved mirror can help us better see the world of the Bible – and even the Biblical text itself.
Archaeologists in Israel uncovered the cremated remains of a young woman, believed to be a courtesan (upper-class prostitute), buried with a perfectly preserved bronze box mirror. She was discovered in a burial cave along Via Hebron just south of Jerusalem on a rocky slope close to Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Her tomb dates back to the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC, according to a joint study carried out by Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Researchers suggest that she was a companion of a senior Hellenistic staff member or governmental official during a military campaign through the Land of Israel. As such, she would have been among the first Greeks to arrive in the region.
The Hellenistic period refers to the area of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean during the time between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 BC. This was a time when Greek culture spread and flourished.
The discovered tomb was called “very significant” by Guy Stiebel of the department of archaeology and the Ancient Near East at the Tel Aviv University in a phone interview with CNN. “It’s almost like bringing back to life a woman who passed away 2,300 years ago,” he said, comparing the research to a “jigsaw puzzle or riddle.”
This could be the first discovery of the remains of what ancient Greeks called a hetaira. These women were mistresses of wealthy and upper-class clients. “If we are correct with our interpretation, it appears that this burial points to the very unique circumstances of what we call a hetaira, a Greek lady who accompanied one of the Hellenistic government officials, or more likely a high general,” Stiebel said.
The Rare Mirror
The mirror discovered in the woman’s tomb was extremely rare, being of such high quality and in nearly perfect condition. Folding box mirrors such as this, that could open and close with a hinge, have been found in tombs and temples in the Greco-Hellenistic world. They are usually decorated with engravings or reliefs of idealized female figures or goddesses, particularly that of the goddess of love Aphrodite.
“This is only the second mirror of this type that has been discovered to date in Israel, and in total, only 63 mirrors of this type are known around the Hellenistic world,” said Liat Oz, the director of the excavation on behalf of the IAA, in a news release. “The quality of the production of the mirror is so high that it was preserved in excellent condition, and it looked as if it was made yesterday.”
“The most stimulating question arising from this discovery was – what is the tomb of a Greek woman doing on the highway leading to Jerusalem, far from any site or settlement of the period,” said Stiebel. “The tomb particularly intrigued us, also in light of the fact that the archaeological information regarding Jerusalem and its surroundings in the early Hellenistic period is very scarce.”
The Hetairai
“Bronze mirrors like the one that was found were considered an expensive luxury item, and they could come into the possession of Greek women in two ways; as part of their dowry ahead of a wedding, or as a gift given by men to their hetaira,” said Stiebel. The gift of a mirror symbolized the connection and intimate relationship between a client and his hetaira.
As part of an Ancient Greek social institution, the hetairai were similar to Japanese geishas and provided an element of culture. They offered social escort services not only, or mainly, sexual services. “The hetairai held literary salons and served as muses for the most famous works of sculpture and painting, which were even displayed in temples,” Stiebel added.
These Greek women were breaking glass ceilings in an extremely strict and male-oriented society. Some of them became common-law spouses of the Greco-Hellenistic rulers, as well as of high-ranking generals and famous intellectuals. They were often given presents, and mirrors were part of the economy of gifts in Ancient Greece.
Clues to the Woman’s History
Beside the unique mirror found with the woman, other facts hinted at her origins, such as her body having been cremated, which was well known in the Greek world. “This is the earliest evidence in Israel of cremation in the Hellenistic period,” Stiebel explained. “Cremation is alien to this country and the religion.” It is not only forbidden in Judaism but would not have been practiced by the Persian empire either, which occupied the region up until the time of the Greeks.
Another hint as to the woman’s history is the place the tomb was found, in the middle of nowhere (about 3 miles south of the Temple Mount), not near any village, farm, or settlement. This suggests that she was connected with one of the military campaigns dating to the time of Alexander the Great or slightly later.
“We are suggesting that maybe she was with one of the generals,” said Stiebel. While a woman of high status might have received such a mirror as part of a dowry, in this case it is unlikely that she was a wife, because married women rarely left their homes in Greece.
Another significant clue was four iron nails also found in the tomb. The Greeks used nails to protect the deceased and to safeguard the living people from the dead. Deceased bodies were literally nailed down to ensure they would not come back to the world of the living, according to Stiebel.
Ancient Mirrors and the Bible
Mirrors dating back to 2000 BC have been found in all major regions of the world. Although glass mirrors first appeared in the first century AD, those of the quality we see today only came into widespread use after 1835 with the invention of the silvered-glass mirror in Germany.
The polished metal mirrors of Biblical times consisted of brass originally, then silver and gold. Metal blends became most common, especially bronze, a mix of tin and copper.
The Hebrew Bible mentions mirrors in the books of Exodus, Job, and Isaiah. Exodus speaks specifically of bronze mirrors. God told Moses to make a basin of bronze in Exodus 30:17-18, and in 38:8 we read that Moses “made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.” This shows that it was at least somewhat common for the Israelite women in the wilderness to have bronze mirrors, perhaps many of them coming from the plunder of Egypt.
In the book of Job, Elihu compares the sky to a mirror. “Can you join him [God] in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?” (Job 37:15-18). Then, in Isaiah 3:24, the prophet warns of impending doom for Jerusalem, mentioning mirrors, perfume, fine clothing, and well-dressed hair as signs of the excessive vanity of the people.
The New Testament references mirrors in two books: 1 Corinthians and James.
Paul talks about how mirrors display only a dim reflection, attesting to them being made of metal instead of glass. Today’s mirrors show a much clearer image than those of 2000 years ago.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. – 1 Cor. 13:9
James also uses a mirror as an example to compare the difference in being a hearer and a doer of what God says.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. – James 1:22-25
Alexander the Great
Researchers date the time period of the woman’s burial to the conquests of Alexander the Great. He was a mighty conqueror from Macedon whose triumph over almost the entire known world resulted in one of the largest empires in ancient history. He only reigned for 13 years, but in that short time he overthrew the entire Persian Empire: Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt and everything in between, including Israel.
Around two centuries earlier, The Persian king Cyrus had issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Israel after their deportation to Babylon. Initially a group of about 50,000 returned, with more following afterward. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, when Alexander visited Jerusalem around 332 BC, he was greeted by the Jewish people with respect and awe. The Jewish leaders informed him that his kingdom was foretold in the book of Daniel. About 250 years before Alexander began his world conquest, God gave Daniel a glimpse into the future. This message was important to Daniel and his people because God also said that they would return to their land and He would care for them through the coming turbulent times.
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that Daniel interpreted as a succession of four “global” empires. The dream included a large statue whose head was “made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay,” (Daniel 2:32-33). Each of these metals is progressively less valuable and represented a different kingdom, the first being Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. Looking back through history, the four kingdoms Daniel foresaw were the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires.
Alexander’s empire split after his death in 323 BC, but Hellenism continued to spread. Greek became the universal language, and Greek culture swept to all parts of the divided empire. Later, the Maccabees would rebel against Greek rule and establish the Hasmonean dynasty, which lasted 130 years. In the midst of that period, they ruled a fully independent Jewish kingdom from 104 to 63 BC.
Conclusion
The tomb’s location in the middle of nowhere, the expensive mirror and four nails found with the remains of a cremated woman all led the research team to conclude that the grave was most likely that of a Greek woman who accompanied a senior member of the Hellenistic army during the campaigns of Alexander the Great or the Wars of the Diadochi (Wars of Alexander’s Successors).
“This is an example of the combination of archaeology and research at its best,” said IAA director Eli Escuzido. “The study of a seemingly simple object leads us to a new understanding and a narrative that opens a window for us to a forgotten and vanished ancient world. These days, researchers are using more technologies to extract more information, and maybe we will be able to get to know that lady and her culture better.”
A future study is being planned to gain additional information regarding the origin of the mirror’s production and to shed more light on the woman’s background and that of the man she accompanied. More significantly, investigating even simple items such as a mirror can help give clarity to the history and messages found in the Bible.
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: The perfectly preserved bronze mirror. (credit: Yoli Schwartz/IAA)
