The David Plates (or Cyprus Plates) are a set of nine silver plates, in three sizes, stamped between 613 and 630. The plates were created in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, each depicting a scene from the life of the Hebrew king

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, and associated with the reign of Emperor

Heraclius Heraclius (; 11 February 641) was Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular emperor Phocas. Heraclius's reign was ...

(610-641). Following their discovery in Karavas (northern

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

) in 1902, the David Plates have been considered key additions to early Byzantine secular art. Casual laborers from the village of Karavas found the David Plates with other silver as they were quarrying the ruins for construction stones. The whole hoard is sometimes known as the "Second Cyprus Treasure", the "First Cyprus Treasure" being what is now usually called the Lambousa Treasure (mostly religious plate, now in the British Museum). The finders, however, failed to report what they had discovered to the Cypriot authorities. When authorities learned of their taking they confiscated three of the David Plates, displayed now in the

Limassol Castle The medieval Limassol Castle (, ) is situated near the old harbour in the heart of the historical centre of the city of Limassol. The castle as it appears today is a structure rebuilt circa 1590 under the period of Ottoman rule. Overview Archaeo ...

, alongside a pair of cross-monogram plates, and other jewelry held today in the Cyprus Museum in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

. The rest of the discovery was smuggled from Cyprus and traded to a dealer located in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Most of this hoard was bought by J. Pierpont Morgan and was later given to the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

by his heirs in 1917, where they currently remain.

Plates

Large, Center Plate

* David battles

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

. Size and weight: 19 7/16 x 2 5/8 in., 203.9oz. (49.4 x 6.6 cm, 5780g)

Medium plates

* Samuel anoints David in the presence of his father and brothers * David is Introduced to

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

* Saul Arms David * Marriage of David and

Michal Michal (; ; ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, then of all Israel, maki ...

Smaller plates

* David fights lion * David fights bear * David approached by messenger while playing the harp * David's Confrontation with Eliab

Manufacture

The David Plates are of extremely high quality, pointing the source of production to the palace workshops in Constantinople that was known for the manufacture of specific luxury commodities. The plates have control stamps by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius to assure the quality of silver used to make them. The nine silver plates were made in three sizes; one large plate, four medium plates and another four small plates.Alexander, Suzanne Spain. "Heraclius, Byzantine imperial ideology, and the David plates." Speculum 52.2 (1977): 234. Regarding the form, the plates are similar, with rolled rims, concave surfaces, and a high foot ring.

Commission

The stamps offer an intriguing aspect of relating the David Plates to Heraclius’ rule. It is often thought that the set could have been commissioned to celebrate the defeat of the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

(628-629) by Heraclius. He managed to end a long war with

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and retook control over

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, and other Byzantine regions. Specifically, Heraclius regained the Byzantine territories that included

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

(founded by King David) and the Sasanian city of

Ctesiphon Ctesiphon ( ; , ''Tyspwn'' or ''Tysfwn''; ; , ; Thomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified July 28, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/58.) was an ancient city in modern Iraq, on the eastern ba ...

. The Byzantine-Sasanian War echoed David's victory over Goliath as he also beheaded his enemy, giving him the acclaim of being the new David. The emperor's image as the new David par excellence might have been praised to celebrate past achievement as well as promote confidence in the present and future. The last years on the control stamps, therefore, are seen as the most likely for the development of David Plates. It is thought that Heraclius ordered the commission of the David Plates for their intrinsic value. More aspects are still being studied to point out their true reality in Byzantine art history.

References

External links

* Metropolitan Museum of Art
Educator's Guide to the David Plates

Plate with the Arming of David

Plate with David Anointed by Samuel

Plate with David Slaying a Lion

Plate with the Battle of David and Goliath

Plate with the Presentation of David to Saul

Heroes of the Old Testament: Picturing the Story of David and Goliath
7th-century artifacts Byzantine art Silver objects David Goliath Metalwork in the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1902 archaeological discoveries Archaeological discoveries in Cyprus Archaeology of Northern Cyprus