The Ancient Near East collection, though small, contains a number of objects of significance to the history of religion. Smaller pieces include cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals with images of deities, and votive objects dedicated at shrines and temples. One inscribed terracotta cylinder from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, describes the rebuilding of Babylon's famous walls and temples. Of special importance is an 8th century BC bronze "siren" from Syria. This attachment, together with several others like it, was originally fastened below the rim of a large bronze cauldron. Cauldrons of this type have been found as religious dedications in sanctuaries, and also in tombs where they may have been used during funerary meals.
The Museum's collection of five Neo-Assyrian palace reliefs are exhibited on the walls of the Ancient Near East gallery. The large relief fragment above represents a winged genius (guardian spirit) from the royal palace of Assurnasirpal II in Iraq (Nimrud, 883-858 BC). Identified as otherworldly beings on the basis of their wings and horned headdresses, "genii" like these were positioned at crucial entrances, and were probably intended to magically protect the palace. The function of this object closely parallels that of a much smaller piece in the gallery, an Assyrian terracotta plaque in the image of a winged genius with a bird's head known as an apkallu. Magical plaques like these were typically buried beneath the floors or thresholds of houses and other buildings to guard them from evil forces.
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The Ancient Near East gallery also features a scale model of the Tabernacle of Israel. Children from the Bryn Athyn Elementary School constructed this model in the 1920s under the supervision of Bishop George de Charms. De Charms and the students, with the help of skilled craftsmen, built the Tabernacle using the original materials and scale dimensions described in the text of Exodus in the Bible. The Tabernacle was a sacred tent that served as a portable place of worship for the Children of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. It was divided into two rooms: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (shown above, left). In the Most Holy Place, at the heart of the Tabernacle, was the Ark of the Covenant (shown above, right). The Ark contained the two stone tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments. The Ark was kept in the heart of the Tabernacle because the Ten Commandments were at the heart of Israel's covenant with Jehovah.
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In the Holy Place there were three pieces of furniture (shown above, left): the Altar of Incense, the Lampstand, and the Table of Showbread. A special "pure incense of sweet spices" was burned on the Altar of Incense. The seven-branched Lampstand that illuminated the Holy Place was made from a single talent (around 75 pounds) of beaten gold. The Table of Showbread was where Jehovah was offered fresh loaves of bread every week, on the Sabbath. The Court, enclosed by a linen fence surrounding the Tabernacle, was where most of the rituals were performed. The main feature of the Court was the Altar of Burnt Offerings (shown above, right). This was the altar where all of the animal sacrifices took place. People brought animals to be sacrificed in order to ask Jehovah to forgive their evils or to thank Him for His blessings.