The Howell Bible Collection consists of approximately 300 rare books, primarily Bibles, dating largely from the 15th through the 18th centuries. The core of the Institute's collection consists of materials from Tell en-Nasbeh Palestine excavated under the direction of Dr. William Badè between 1926 and 1935. Of the hundreds of lamps, pitchers, bowls, jars, and jewelry and cosmetic items found in the ruins of the city, about half were deposited at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, while others were shipped to Berkeley. Those on display in the Badè Museum provide graphic evidence of everyday activities in a provincial town three thousand years ago, and offer instructive comparison with life in this century.
