Digging Up the Bible: A Persian Cup

DIGGING UP THE BIBLE
Important Archeological Finds that help Us Understand Scripture
pdf
Linda Manuel—1996
 

Persian Cup
(550-332 BC)

Persia had three capital cities: Susa (biblical Shushan), Ecbatana (150 miles north of Susa), and Persepolis (300 miles southeast of Susa). This formal gold wine cup comes from the royal palace at Ecbatana. The cast of a roaring lion displays the skills of a Persian artisan (550-332 B.C.). Ahasuerus, the king who chose Esther as his queen, probably drank from vessels similar to this at royal banquets described in the Book of Esther. This cup is currently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

 

When Ahasuerus came to power, Persia was already the largest empire in the known world and still growing. In the first year of the king's reign, he attempted to conquer Greece but suffered setbacks at Thermopylae, defeat in a navel battle at Salamis, and humiliation at Plataea.

 

The Book of Esther opens in "the third year" of Ahasuerus's reign (1:3). Esther did not become queen until "the seventh year" of his rule (2:16), evidently after the king had come back from Greece (479 B.C.). The Greek historian, Herodotus, specifically relates that, upon the king's return, Ahasuerus consoled himself by enlarging his harem. Because the events of the story and the characters, except King Ahasuerus, are still unknown from secular sources, many critics consider the book a work of fiction. A. Bentzen, author of Introduction to the Old Testament (Copenhagen, 1948, vol. 2, p. 192), for example, calls it an "historical novel."

 

Although archeology cannot prove the historicity of the Book of Esther, it supplies ample evidence pointing to the book's genuineness. The fact that there is no Hellenistic coloring in the narrative and that there are no Greek words, both features being characteristic of a later period, suggest a date at least before the late 4th century B.C. Bentzen must admit that "the story teller knows something of the administration of the Persian kingdom and especially of the construction of the Palace at Shushan," despite his contention that the book is nothing more than historical fiction.

 

Excavations show that "Shushan the Palace" (1:2) refers to the acropolis of the Elamite city of Susa, where magnificent ruins remain, recalling the splendor of the Persian kings. Between 1880-1890, French excavators uncovered Ahasuerus's breathtaking royal residence spread over two and a half acres. These explorers found so much treasure from the period of Xerxes (the Greek equivalent to Ahasuerus) that the Louve in Paris devoted two large rooms to the collection.

 

Significance for Biblical Studies: The Persian Cup from the royal palace the Book of Esther describes is one of the few places in the Old Testament that historians can restore accurately from excavation data, which helps to confirm the reliability of the biblical text. The gold cup is typical of the extravagant drink ware official celebrations there used.

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