An engraving on an ancient silver cup from the West Bank may represent the oldest known illustration of the creation of the cosmos. The item, known as the ˁAin Samiya goblet, was discovered in 1970 in the tomb of a high-ranking Bronze-Age individual who resided in the Judean Hills, and may have been interred to facilitate the rebirth of this unknown person’s soul. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Standing at 8 centimeters tall (3.1 inches), the 4,300-year-old silver object is adorned with two contrasting scenes, the first of which appears to show a world of chaos ruled over by a serpent. Describing this primordial mayhem, the authors of a new study explain that the illustration depicts a time “when heaven and earth, anim

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