Silver Goblet Reinterpreted as Earliest Known Cosmos Depiction, Predating Babylonian Myth

A silver goblet, approximately eight centimeters in height, discovered in 1970 near the spring of 'Ain Samiya close to Kafr Malik in the West Bank, is being reinterpreted by researchers as potentially the earliest known visual representation of the cosmos. The artifact dates to the Intermediate Bronze Age, spanning roughly 2500 to 2000 B.C.E.. This object is notable as the only luxury good recovered from the southern Levant dating to this period.

The new analysis, published in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Lux,” posits that the hammered relief motifs illustrate the transition from a primordial chaotic state to an ordered universe, centering on the genesis and daily passage of the sun. This interpretation directly contrasts with previous scholarship that linked the imagery to the Babylonian creation myth, Enuma Elish, which was compiled over a millennium later, around 1200 B.C.E.. The goblet's scenes suggest a peaceful ordering process, rather than the violent divine struggle described in the later myth.

The iconography features celestial symbols, deities, chimeras, and snakes across two distinct scenes. A key element supporting the cosmological reading is the identification of a crescent-shaped Celestial Boat, borne by two divine figures, which researchers assert symbolizes the divine apparatus transporting the sun and moon across the celestial expanse. This reevaluation elevates the 'Ain Samiya goblet from a regional curiosity to potentially the world's earliest artistic testament to a systematic explanation of the universe's origin.

Scholars suggest the goblet was likely conceived by an artist from the Akkadian Empire during the 23rd century BCE and crafted by a silversmith in northern Syria before being transported and interred in an elite tomb in the southern Levant around 2200 BCE. This chronological placement is supported by comparative evidence from the Lidar Höyük prism, excavated in Şanliurfa, Turkey, which exhibits similar cosmological symbols and dates between 2000 and 1600 BCE. The presence of the celestial boat motif also finds parallels in reliefs from the Hittite rock sanctuary at Yazılıkaya, dating to approximately 1200 BCE.

The goblet, recovered from tomb 204/204a alongside sixteen ceramic vessels and amber beads, is currently on permanent loan and display at the Israel Museum. The new analysis positions the object as a vital nexus for understanding early Near Eastern intellectual history by connecting Mesopotamian conceptual frameworks with Levantine burial customs and ancient Egyptian sun cults.