page_title: Ancient Israelite cuisine
section_title: Pomegranates
hierarchical_section_title: Ancient Israelite cuisine / Foods / Fruit / Pomegranates
caption_attribution_description: JUDAEA, First Jewish War. 66-70 CE. AR Shekel (22mm, 13.19 g, 12h). Dated year 3 (68/9 CE). "Shekel of Israel," Omer cup with pearled rim; date above / "Jerusalem the Holy," sprig of three pomegranates. Meshorer 202; Hendin 662. EF, attractive dark gray toning.
context_page_description: Ancient Israelite cuisine refers to the food eaten by the ancient Israelites during a period of over a thousand years, from the beginning of the Israelite presence in the Land of Israel at the beginning of the Iron Age until the Roman period. The dietary staples were bread, wine and olive oil, but also included legumes, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, fish and meat. Religious beliefs, which prohibited the consumption of certain foods, shaped the Israelite diet. There was considerable continuity in the main components of the diet over time, despite the introduction of new foodstuffs at various stages. The food of ancient Israel was similar to that of other ancient Mediterranean diets.
context_section_description: Pomegranates were usually eaten fresh, although occasionally they were used to make juice or wine, or sun-dried for use when the fresh fruit was out of season. They probably played a minor part in Israelite cuisine but were symbolically important as adornments on the hem of the robe of the high priest and the Temple pillars and embossed on coinage; they are also listed in the Bible as one of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel.
caption: Silver half shekel coins minted during the First Jewish–Roman War show three pomegranates on the reverse.
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