Ancient Silver Goblet Features the Earliest Depiction of the Universe’s Creation

Posted on November 13, 2025 by

“Ain Samiya’s Silver Goblet”

Israel Museum, Jerusalem/Ardon Bar Hama

A silver chalice dating back 4,300 years, found in Palestine’s West Bank, displays a depiction of the universe’s formation from primordial chaos, marking it as the oldest recorded visual interpretation of a creation myth.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind design,” says Eberhard Sanger from the Lewisian Research Foundation in Switzerland. “It conveys a complex narrative using a minimal number of lines.”

Measuring about 8 cm in height, the “Ain Samiya” goblet was uncovered 55 years ago in an ancient tomb located a few miles northeast of Ramallah, on the western edge of the Fertile Crescent, an area where early civilizations thrived.

The goblet features two distinctive scenes. The first shows a large serpent confronting a chimera with a human upper body and animal legs, positioned on a small flower-like circle. The second scene depicts a smiling serpent lying on the ground beneath a much larger flower-like circle, supported by two humanoid figures—of which only one is currently visible due to the goblet’s damage.

Archaeologists of the 1970s proposed that these scenes could represent Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth in which the primordial entity Tiamat is overcome by the god Marduk, resulting in Tiamat’s body transforming into heaven and earth. However, Zanger notes that this interpretation has its shortcomings; notably, there are no battle representations on the goblet, and it is approximately 1,000 years older than Enuma Elish itself.

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<p>This has led other scholars to suggest alternative meanings. For instance, they propose that the goblet might represent the cyclical rebirth of a year and the passing of another.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Zanger and his associates, including independent researcher <a href="https://utoronto.academia.edu/DanielSarlo">Daniel Sarlo</a> from Toronto, and <a href="https://fabiennehaasdantes.academia.edu/">Fabienne Haas Dantes</a> from the University of Zurich, argue that the original interpretation remains the most accurate. They contend that the scenes depict the creation of the universe, drawing from ancient creation stories that predate even <em>Enuma Elish</em>.</p>

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            <img class="Image" alt="This scene illustrates cosmic order emerging from chaos, featuring figures such as serpents and deities (Credit: ? Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Florica Weiner)." width="1350" height="901" src="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg" srcset="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=300 300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=400 400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=500 500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=600 600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=700 700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=800 800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=837 837w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=900 900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1003 1003w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1100 1100w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1300 1300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1400 1400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1500 1500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1600 1600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1674 1674w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1700 1700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1800 1800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=1900 1900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/12150512/SEI_274075982.jpg?width=2006 2006w" sizes="(min-width: 1288px) 837px, (min-width: 1024px) calc(57.5vw + 55px), (min-width: 415px) calc(100vw - 40px), calc(70vw + 74px)" loading="lazy" data-image-context="Article" data-image-id="2504118" data-caption="The images engraved on the goblet portray deities, serpents, and the sun" data-credit="Israel Museum, Jerusalem/Florika Weiner"/>
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                <p class="ArticleImageCaption__Title">The engravings on the goblet depict a deity, a serpent, and the sun.</p>
                <p class="ArticleImageCaption__Credit">Israel Museum, Jerusalem/Florica Weiner</p>
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<p>Zanger's research team views the first scene as ambiguous. The chimera signifies a weaker god combined with an animal. The small flower-like circles beneath its legs symbolize the powerless sun. A colossal serpent dominates this chaos. In contrast, the second scene reveals that order has emerged from chaos, with gods distinguished from animals, transforming into potent humanoid figures. They raise the powerful sun atop a "vessel of heaven," indicating the separation of heaven from earth, while the chaotic serpent lies defeated beneath the sun.</p>
<p>Zanger also mentions that cuneiform texts from another area of the Fertile Crescent, dating similarly to the goblet, discuss how deities divided heaven and earth. This indicates that by the time of the goblet's creation, the locals had already contemplated the theme of world creation. "The remarkable aspect of this artifact is that it allows us to glimpse their conception of this narrative," he states.</p>
<p><a href="https://independent.academia.edu/JLisman">Jan Lisman</a>, an independent researcher from the Netherlands, remains skeptical of this interpretation. "What it depicts is the daily journey of the sun," he argues. "But it certainly does not reflect 'origin' or 'chaos.'"</p>

<p><a href="https://www.altestestament.unibe.ch/about_us/people/prof_em_dr_schroer_silvia/index_eng.html">Sylvia Schroer</a>, a professor at the University of Bern, Switzerland, shows some willingness to entertain the notion that the goblet signifies world creation. However, she believes a different aspect of the new analysis is problematic.</p>

<p>According to Zanger, some images on the Ain Samiyah goblet, notably the giant snake, resonate with ancient cosmological tales from the Fertile Crescent and adjacent areas. They posit that this implies a profound connection among various creation myths which may trace back to a singular, more ancient narrative. Illustrating this, they cite a celestial vessel resembling that in the goblet, which is carved on a pillar at Göbekli Tepe in modern-day Turkey, a location dating back 11,500 years—7,000 years prior to the goblet's creation. "This is astonishing," Zanger remarks.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Schroer argues that it might be too speculative to assert that all creation narratives in the region are tightly intertwined. "Even with similarities, it doesn't necessitate clear influence," she maintains.</p>

<div class="JournalReference" data-title="JEOL – Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society “Ex Oriente Luxˮ" data-title_link="https://www.exorientelux.nl/jeol/" data-reference_type_overwrite="Journal reference:" data-doi="in press" data-method="shortcode" data-component-name="journal-reference">
    <p class="JournalReference__Title"><i>JEOL – Journal of Ancient Near East Studies “Ex Oriente Luxˮ</i> <a class="JournalReference__Link" href="https://www.exorientelux.nl/jeol/">DOI: In print</a></p>
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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ghostly depiction of a rocket soaring through space stands out among photo contest finalists

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Soyuz MS Rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

Rhiannon Adam

This ghostly image of Soyuz Ms Rocket in Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, was taken the night before it took off to the International Space Station in December 2021, and has a particularly moving resonance for the photographer. Rhiannon Adam.

About a month ago, she was said to be one of the eight-person crew members of the Dearmoon Project. It was set to become the first civilian mission to the moon, and was scheduled to be released in 2023 using a rocket developed by SpaceX, but was later cancelled.

Adam was part of a large crowd that was taken that night to see the Soyuz rocket. When the others began to leave, she strolled around to get a shot of her before being escorted by security. “Before I fired the shutter, I didn’t have a cable release so I held my breath and closed my eyes,” she says. “It was a creepy alien green light, and the flood lights mixed with the fog, so I thought it was a sight I might never see again.”

Adam had to take two frames and cross the fingers that came from the photo before being guided to the waiting bus. “Fortunately, I did. This image is a bit bittersweet for what’s symbolic to me now, but when I can separate it from my life, I still think it’s a beautiful monument to human achievement,” she says.

she, 2025 Sony World Photography AwardsCreate a cut in the “Creative” category of the Photo Series on Mission Cancellation. The overall winner of Photographer of the Year will be named on April 16th.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Review: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – A Gritty Depiction of Medieval Bohemia’s Hardships

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

lIfe was tough in the 16th century Bohemia. That way, you’ll be at your virtual counterpart. The first 10 hours of this game were totally miserable. Stepping into the mud-stained boots of Henry, a humble blacksmith-turned-knight, I am sent to convey my message in war-torn regions. But before Henry could fulfill his duties, he became a victim of a fatal ambush, leaving himself and his Lord Hans Capon, without a penny or sword in their names I’ve been stuck.

No one believes you are a nobleman as strangers arrive in tattered rags, bloody and desperate. Towns Fork will comment on your smell and refuse to let you enter various facilities. It is a truly humble gaming experience, creating a calm recreation of what it is like to be in the oppressed things of medieval society.

The main story is ultimately driving you away with an increasingly impressive exploit, but in the early games, simply survive the day, an adventure in itself. In this harsh feudal fantasy, you can save just two ways: sleep in your bed or drink a bottle of Savior Schnapps. When you can’t afford to spend the night at the inn – and Henry has no horses – the journey across each new map is dangerous. Some of these early deaths cost me hours of progress.

A painstaking … The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

Once you can follow some paths to Groschen and steal them, your fate will begin to change. At Kingdom, maintaining its appearance is essential. Townspeople notice your scars and blood sporadic clothing. Innkeepers are less likely to take you to a burglar if you take a bath. The wealthier you become, the easier life will be. Even getting dressed well will help convince the guards of your innocence when you are caught with a redhead.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is filled with friction that most modern games actively avoid. I was totally immersed in this cruel, believable simulation – even when it was kicking my ass. This is a role-playing game in which even the simple act of making potions can cause food to spoil and poison you, and even fast travel is not even safe. Words to the Sage – Don’t accidentally appear in the wrong bed. It ends on a night spent confused by inventory.

Like Bethesda’s Skyrim, you learn by doing it. Do you want to improve your running? Sprint while wearing the heaviest armor you can find. A flashy command conversation? Concentrate half a day in the game to read books. First-person duels in the original game are welcome, allowing players to lock into deadly games, mess up, block, and read the opponent’s stance. It’s a deadly dance that doesn’t feel like anything else in the game, but if swordsmanship isn’t for you, you can hone your marksmanship, double stealth, or use your tongue as a sharp weapon. Masu.

In conversation, you can role-play Henry. No matter how much you play, the writing is consistently and convincing, and the characters are as intentionally consistent as your gameplay. Despite its crazy misery, the kingdom has a comedic spirit. From molestation mirrors collecting sediments from corpses to solving differences with soldiers through loud drinking games, there is also humor in the most inactive interactions. Developer Warhorse Studios is wise to keep players smiling, even if they are breathing and cursing the game.

The Spirit of Comedy… The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

It’s extremely rewarding to see Henry slowly transform from an incompetent person into a horrifying being. Once you lift yourself up with a bootstrap, Jant across this country will see you infiltrate a noble wedding, plan a prison break, and even protect the besieged castle. Kingdom Come 2 World inevitably features the kind of bugs you’d expect from a vast RPG, but it helps to be a very handsome game. The grass sways in the wind and in the villages and towns.

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If there’s a game that takes a “tough love” approach, that’s it. Early times feel like the playable equivalent of being sent to a military school and demands sacred patience, but that’s a rewarding investment. Just like before Red Dead Redemption 2, I’m willing to lose time wandering through this vast simulation and want to see the wonders and practics that I might trip. Despite spending over 115 hours in Bohemia, I’m saying that I haven’t rolled at my credits yet to the main quest line. If you are not inspired by the prospect of roaming yet another frictionless open world where everything comes easily, the Kingdom comes: Rescue 2 is a breath of fresh air.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Review of Neva: A Beautiful Depiction of a Warrior and His Wolf in a Bleak World | Video Games

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

a The warrior and his wolf traverse a stunning landscape in a video game like no other. Cranes soar from a sparkling pond, while wild boars and stags wander in the background. The camera pans out to reveal a vast plain with yellow flowers spreading in all directions and cracked mountains in the distance. However, corruption lurks in this beautiful world. Birds fall from the sky, and black flowers emerge as a masked demon preys on them. These are the enemies that the warrior, armed with a thin blade, must defeat. But the task is daunting, as there are many foes to face, and the warrior is accompanied only by his faithful wolf companion.

Neva does not rely on words to embellish its setting. The game immerses players in a visually stunning world brought to life by developer Nomada Studio’s animation and accompanied by evocative music from Barcelona-based Berlinist. While many games prioritize style over substance, Neva excels on all fronts. The emotional impact of watching the world deteriorate and creatures succumb to darkness is profound, leaving players moved by the experience.

The journey begins with a small wolf pup that grows alongside the player, relying on their protection in the face of darkness. Players must utilize various abilities such as dashes, double jumps, and a rapier to combat the encroaching evil and safeguard their companion. The bond between the warrior and the wolf forms the heart of the game, evolving as the seasons change and the characters face new challenges.

“The bond between you and this wolf is the emotional center of this game.” Photo provided by: Nomada Studio

As the wolf matures, it gains new abilities and forms a crucial partnership with the player, aiding in combat and offering protection. The growth and development of the wolf symbolize the evolving relationship between player and companion, adding depth to the gameplay experience.

Neva seamlessly blends nature with changing architecture, creating diverse challenges that test players’ skills. The puzzles and combat scenarios are well-crafted, providing a balance of difficulty and consequence. The game’s visual design and atmospheric storytelling draw players into a captivating world where choices matter and dangers lurk at every turn.

Reminiscent of critically acclaimed games like Journey, Neva offers a compelling and emotionally resonant experience that lingers long after the credits roll. The journey towards the distant mountain, fraught with challenges and revelations, culminates in a poignant conclusion that leaves players reflecting on the profound impact of their adventure.

Source: www.theguardian.com

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