The Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Theology
In the 1950s and 1960s, two Old Testament scholars from Basel traveled independently of each other to the Holy Land, and both brought home collections of artefacts from their travels. Hans Joachim Stoebe, Professor of Old Testament from 1961 to 1979, was primarily interested in pottery, while Ernst Jenni, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Philology from 1958 to 1997, was rather more interested in coins. Now, both of these collections are combined as the “Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Theology” in Basel and will available as an teaching aid in the Faculty's courses. Here, we wish to thank both collectors and their family members for their generous gift to the Faculty of Theology.
The first steps in provenancing these objects were taken beginning in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the direction of Sonja Ammann and Stephen Germany, Anja Preiswerk and Enrico Regazzoni investigated the objects in both collections and their historical backgrounds. Their work and ideas are initial steps in the provenancing and also in the potential restitution of particular objects. In short: the meticulous work that Anja Preiswerk and Enrico Regazzoni carried out is only the beginning of a longer work in progress.
The work on the objects of the “Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Theology” in Basel allowed both young researchers to get to know the worlds of the Bible, the Levant, and Anqituity from many new – both positive and negative, but always fascinating – sides and to bring us closer to these worlds. In this respect, they lay the foundation for future research on the provenance of these objects and the responsibilities that come with it. We thank them for the major contribution that they have made.
Below is a list of the objects that are on display in the Faculty of Theology (Nadelberg 10, Basel). If you would like to learn more about the collection as a whole, you can download the complete catalog below.
Stephen Germany & Oskar Kaelin
Basel, fall 2022
Collection “Stoebe”
St 2 Pitcher with spout
Clay. Finely tempered.
13.4 x 7.2 cm.
Iron IIA-B
St 3 Pyxis
Clay, wheel-made.
H 8.5 cm, W 10 cm, opening ca. 5 cm.
Iron IA
St 4 Bowl
Clay. Quite finely tempered, with inclusions (likely organic).
4.8 x 4.4 cm.
Iron IIA-B
St 5 Oil lamp
Clay. Very coarsely tempered, with inclusions of various colors.
4.5 x 14.1 cm.
Iron IIA-B
St 6 Oil lamp
Clay. Coarsely tempred with many white inclusions.
5.2 x 10.6 cm.
Iron IIC
St 9 Oil lamp
Clay, rather coarsely tempered.
3.5 x 12.5 cm.
Iron I
St 10 Censer
Clay, finely tempered. Wheel-finished.
9.1 x 9.7 cm.
Iron IIA-B
St 12 Goblet
Clay, coarsely tempered.
18.5 x 18.5 cm.
Iron I
St 14 Pyxis
Clay.
6.5 x 6.5 cm.
Iron II
St 15 Black Juglet
Clay.
7.8 x 5.6 cm.
Iron II
St 18 Small amphora
Clay. Coarsely tempered.
8.5 x ca. 6.2 cm.
Early Bronze I-III
St 20 Bowl with spout
Clay. Rather coarsely tempered.
6.5 x 10 cm.
Early Bronze IB
St 23 Jug
Clay, finely tempered.
12 x 11.5 cm.
Early Bronze IA
St 24 Small amphora
Clay, somewhat finely tempered.
9.4 x 8.5 cm.
Early Bronze I
St 25 Oil lamp with four spouts
Clay, rather coarsely tempered; raw.
14.5 x 4.5 cm.
Mittelbronzezeit I
St 26 Oil lamp
Clay, finely tempered.
3.9 x 8 cm.
Date unclear.
St 27 Closed narrow-necked carinated bowl / vase
Clay, finely tempered.
H ca. 13.8 cm, W ca. 12 cm.
Middle Bronze IIB-C
St 28 Pitcher
Clay, coarsely tempered.
H. ca. 12.5 cm, W ca. 11 cm, thickness 0.5-0.8 cm.
Early Bronze I
St 29 Krater
Clay, finely tempered.
ca. 21 x 20 cm.
Middle Bronze II
St 31 Open carinated bowl
Clay, rather finely tempered.
6.7 x 13.4 cm.
Late Bronze I
St 32 Sherd with engraved decoration
Clay, rather finely tempered.
ca. 12.5 x 9.5 cm.
Early Bronze?
St 34 Sherd
Alabaster.
6.7 x 10.2 cm.
St 36 Sherd with notch
Clay, coarsely tempered.
ca. 6 x 12 cm.
Chalcolithic - Early Bronze II
St 41 Sherd from a storage jar
Clay, coarsely tempered, with dark inclusions.
10.3 cm x 16.5 cm.
Chalcolithic to Early Bronze I or Middle Bronze I
St 47 Sherd with decorative pattern
Clay, rather coarsely tempered.
7.4 x 6.5 cm.
St 48 Sherd with decorative pattern
Clay, rather coarsely tempered.
3.9 x 4.9 cm.
St 49 Sherd with decorative pattern
Clay, rather coarsely tempered.
3.2 x 4.2 cm.
St 50 Bowl
Clay, coarsely tempered.
12 x 23 cm.
Early Bronze IA
St 52 Jug
Clay, rather finely tempered.
14 x 16 cm.
Date unclear.
St 54 Jug
Clay, rather coarsely tempered.
25.5 x 15 cm.
Early Bronze II
St 58 Juglet
Clay, rather finely tempered.
8 x 6 cm.
Early Bronze II-III
St 59 Flask
Clay, rather finely tempered.
13 x 9.8 cm.
Date unclear.
St 60 Jug
Clay, rather finely tempered.
12.8 x 6.6 cm.
Late Bronze II
St 61 Cypriot juglet
Clay, finely tempered.
H 13.5 cm, W 6.7 - 7.5 cm, neck 2.2 cm, ∅ opening 3.2 cm.
Middle Cypriot II (ca. Middle Bronze II)
St 62 Pilgrim flask
Clay.
H ca. 16 cm, W ca. 12 cm, opening 4.5 cm.
Late Bronze IIB
St 63 Bowl-shaped lamp
Clay, coarsely tempered.
H 3.5 cm, W ca. 11.2 cm.
Middle Bronze IIB-C
St 66 Oil lamp
Clay, finely tempered.
3.7 x 7.8 cm.
Date unclear.
St 75 «Spoon»
Clay, coarsely tempered.
9.1 x 13 cm.
Date unclear.
St 76 Unguentarium
Clay, rather finely tempered.
13.8 x 4.3 cm.
Date unclear.
St 79 Oil lamp with palm branch / stylized menorah
Clay, finely tempered.
3.7 x 9.8 cm.
Byzantine period, 5th-6th century CE
St 80 Oil lamp with writing
Clay, finely tempered, made in a mold.
L 10.5 cm, W 6.9 cm, H 3.8 cm.
Byzantine - Islamic period
St 81 Oil lamp with floral pattern
Clay, formed in a mold.
L 8.6 cm, W 5.4 cm, H 2.9 cm.
Hellenistic period
St 82 Oil lamp
Clay, finely tempered.
3 x 9 cm.
Date unclear.
St 83 Oil lamp
Clay, finely tempered.
L 7.7 cm, W 6.3 cm, H 3 cm.
Roman period
St 84 Oil lamp
Clay, finely tempered.
3.8 x 6.7 cm.
Date unclear.
St 85 Jug
Clay, rather finely tempered.
5.3 x 9.5 cm.
Date unclear.
St 103 Sherd
Clay, rather finely tempered
6.8 x 5.6 cm.
St 133 Figurine
Clay.
2.7 x 19 cm.
Date unclear.
St 137 Mudbrick with cuneiform text
8 x 16.5 cm.
Date unclear.
St 138 Mudbrick with cuneiform text
6.5 x 6.8 cm.
Date unclear.
St 139 Mudbrick with cuneiform text
3 x 5.5 cm.
Date unclear.
St 147 Plaster copy of a small bowl with bull decoration
Clay.
5.3 x 13 cm.
Modern.
St 151 Caprid figurine
Metal.
3.5 x 12.8 cm.
Modern.
St 152 Small pitcher
Metal.
13 x 10.5 cm.
Modern.
St 153 Plaster copy of a human-headed lion (?) with cuneiform text
11 x 14 cm.
St 154 Plaster copy of a duck weight with cuneiform text
10 x 18 cm.
Modern
St 155 Round object with Arabic inscription
1.6 x 6.5 cm.
St 156 Rectangular object with Arabic inscription
1.5 x 4 cm.
St 160 Ossuary
Date unclear.
Collection “Jenni”
Je 1 1/16 shekel of Ba‘alšillem II and ‘Abd‘aštart I.
Silver (7). Weight 0.68 g, diameter 8.8 mm, die marriage 360°
Phoenician, ca. 383-372 BCE, minted in Sidon.
Je 3 Tetradrachma of Antiochus VII Sidetes
Silver (7). Weight 10.98 g, diameter 26.4 mm, die marriage 360°
Seleucid, 135-134 BCE, minted in Tyre
Je 10 Nonferrous metal (Æ). Weight 3.31 g, diameter 17.9 mm, die marriage 345°
Nabatean, 16-41 CE, probably minted in Petra.
Je 20 Follis (Aes 1) of Diocletian
Nonferrous metal (Æ). Weight 10.14 g, diameter 27.6 mm, die marriage 150°
Roman, ca. 302-303 CE, minted in Antioch.
Je 31 Follis (Aes 3) of Constantine I
Nonferrous metal (Æ). Weight 3.86 g, diameter 19.2 mm, die marriage 360°
Je 38 40 Nummi of Justinian I
Nonferrous metal (Æ). Weight 15.72 g, diameter 32.2 mm, die marriage 195°
Byzantine, 527-538 CE, minted in Constantinople.
Je 40 Copy of a Tetradrachma of Agathocles of Syracuse
Tin. Weight 9.06 g, diameter 24.2 mm, die marriage 360°
Modern.
Je 47 Lamp
Clay.
H. 2.9 cm, W. 6 cm, L. 7.2 cm.
Late Roman, 3rd-4th century CE.
Region of Yavne and Samaria.
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