The Ain Samiya silver goblet, found near Kafr Malik and dated to 2650–1950 BC, contains two carved scenes interpreted as the oldest known depiction of cosmic creation. The first register shows a chaotic world dominated by a giant serpent; the second shows gods carrying the Sun on a celestial boat after chaos is subdued. Researchers argue the imagery represents peaceful cosmic ordering rather than a violent divine battle and note parallels with Göbekli Tepe, Yazılıkaya and Egyptian solar motifs. The study is published in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, "Ex Oriente Lux."
4,300‑Year‑Old Goblet Reveals Earliest Known Depiction of Cosmic Creation
The Ain Samiya silver goblet, found near Kafr Malik and dated to 2650–1950 BC, contains two carved scenes interpreted as the oldest known depiction of cosmic creation. The first register shows a chaotic world dominated by a giant serpent; the second shows gods carrying the Sun on a celestial boat after chaos is subdued. Researchers argue the imagery represents peaceful cosmic ordering rather than a violent divine battle and note parallels with Göbekli Tepe, Yazılıkaya and Egyptian solar motifs. The study is published in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, "Ex Oriente Lux."
07:05 AM, 11/14/2025Culture
Ancient silver goblet may show the birth of the cosmos
A 4,300‑year‑old silver vessel discovered near Kafr Malik in the West Bank appears to contain the earliest known visual account of the universe's creation. The Ain Samiya goblet, just 3.1 inches (about 8 cm) high and dated to roughly 2650–1950 BC, carries two carved registers that archaeologists interpret as a "before and after" sequence of cosmic ordering.
In the first register, a chaotic scene shows humans, animals and plants fused together under the dominance of a gigantic serpent, with a small, powerless Sun depicted on the ground. The second register presents a contrasting, ordered cosmos: divine figures hold the Sun aloft on a small celestial boat while the serpent lies subdued.
Interpretation and significance
Researchers working with the Luwian Studies Foundation argue that the imagery represents order triumphing over primordial chaos through a peaceful process of cosmic ordering rather than a violent divine battle. If this reading is correct, the goblet predates the Babylonian Enuma Elish — preserved on stone tablets — by more than a millennium and would be the earliest known depiction of cosmic formation.
“The goblet does not describe a violent conflict among gods, but a peaceful cosmic ordering process,” said Daniel Sarlo, co‑author of the study. “It shows how the Sun is born, banishes chaos and renews the world.”
Eberhard Zangger, a senior author of the paper, noted the practical logic behind the imagery: the small boat is a vehicle for celestial bodies, an explanatory device that accounts for the Sun’s and Moon’s movements and thus for day and night, seasons and lunar phases.
Connections across time and place
The authors point out parallels for the "boat of light" motif across the ancient Near East and beyond: at Göbekli Tepe (a Neolithic site dating many millennia earlier), at the Hittite rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya, and in iconography from Egypt’s New Kingdom, where solar boats are a familiar theme. These recurrent elements suggest that early Near Eastern cultures may have shared conceptual models for the cosmos.
Some commentators also note conceptual echoes with the Genesis account, in which light is separated from darkness, though the goblet provides an independent visual tradition rather than a textual parallel.
The research appears in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society, "Ex Oriente Lux." The goblet was originally excavated in the 1970s and reexamined by the research team now publishing the study; their reading emphasizes symbolic ordering and cosmological explanation rather than epic combat.
What remains uncertain
As with most ancient iconography, interpretations rely on comparative evidence and remain open to debate. Questions persist about cultural transmission, the precise dating within the provided range, and whether the scenes should be read strictly as a single creation narrative or as condensed symbolic motifs. Nevertheless, the Ain Samiya goblet offers a rare and compelling visual glimpse into Bronze Age cosmological thinking.