Jericho tomb
- Audio guide stop: 384
- Gallery: Room 58
- Audio guide: one commentary for a group of objects shown together
- Museum: The British Museum
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About these objects
This is the Jericho tomb display in Room 58, showcasing objects uncovered from a Bronze Age burial site in what is now the West Bank. The collection contains a variety of wooden items and bone inlays, all dating from between 2200 and 1550 BCE. These pieces give us a glimpse into the craftsmanship and daily life of the people who lived during the Middle Bronze Age.
Among the artifacts, you’ll see fragments of wooden table tops and legs, two of which once formed part of tables with an elaborate design. Look for the carved patterns and the way the main structure was constructed from multiple pieces.
Equally striking are the bone inlays—delicately carved with images of birds, flowers, and pillars. These were probably part of toilet boxes or furniture, showing a real attention to decoration and luxury. Nearby, you can examine pieces of wooden combs, some still showing the fine-toothed pattern.
The objects, though fragmented, speak to the sophistication of ancient Jericho’s artisans and the importance of these items in burial practices.
See it in person
Jericho tomb is on display in Room 58 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 384, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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