The Shema Seal is an ancient Jasper seal that dates back to the 8th century BCE and mentions the King of ancient Israel, Jeroboam.[1][2][3]
| Shema Seal | |
|---|---|
 Postage stamp depicting the Shema Seal | |
| Material | (Original) Jasper (Bulla) Clay |
| Writing | Paleo Hebrew |
| Created | 8th century BCE |
| Discovered | (Original) 1904, Megiddo, Israel (Bulla) bought from a Bedouin market in 1980 |
| Present location | (Original) unknown (Bulla) Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem |
Discovery edit
Archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher and his team began excavating at Megiddo and found the seal during a three-year excavation program.[4] The seal was discovered in 1904, in an excavation dump. The layers in which it was found were dated to the eighth century BCE.[5][6] Schumacher send the original seal to Istanbul but it never returned.[7] Its current location is unknown. A bronze cast made before it was sent away.[8][9]
Bulla edit
In the 1980s Yigal Ronen, a nuclear engineer and amateur antiquities collector from the Ben Gurion university, visited the Bedouin market in Be'er Sheva.[10] He was offered a tiny clay lump stamped with the image of a roaring lion and ancient Hebrew writing. Ronen bought it for 10 Shekels, even though suspecting it to be a forgery.[11][12]
It turned out to be authentical.[13] It is not the original Meggido seal, but features the same images and dates from the same period as the original.[14][15][16]
Text edit
“Belonging to Shema (שמע)[17] the servant of Jeroboam.”[18][19]
Hebrew to English translation:
‘Ishm’ ‘bdyrbm’[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Seal of Shema, Servant of Jeroboam - MC 0177 | Metzger Collection". metzgercollection.pastperfectonline.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Merrill, A. L. "Shema` Seal". dl.atla.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Ussishkin, David. "Gate 1567 at Megiddo and the Seal of Shema, Servant of Jeroboam". In: M.D. Coogan et al. (eds.), Scripture and Other Artifacts; Essays on the Bible and Archaeology in Honor of Philip J. King, Louisville, 1994, pp. 410-428.
- ^ May 24, Eleanor Clarke •. "Ancient Seal Proves Biblical King Jeroboam". ArmstrongInstitute.org. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Lidzbarski, Mark. "Seal of Shema, Servant of Jereboam". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ King, Philip J. (1988-01-01). Amos, Hosea, Micah: An Archaeological Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-24077-6.
- ^ Fant, Clyde E.; Reddish, Mitchell G. (2008-10-15). Lost Treasures of the Bible: Understanding the Bible Through Archaeological Artifacts in World Museums. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-2881-1.
- ^ Dating the Iron Age IIB Archaeological Horizon in Israel and Judah. ISBN 978-3-96327-086-4.
- ^ "Israel Museum Photos". www.julianspriggs.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ Aḥituv, Shmuel; Ayalon, Avner; Bar-Matthews, Mira; Goren, Yuval; Magen, Michael; Oren, Eliezer D.; Shamir, Orit (2023-07-03). "A Seal Impression of 'ShemaꜤ Servant of Jeroboam'". Tel Aviv. 50 (2): 216–230. doi:10.1080/03344355.2023.2246817. ISSN 0334-4355.
- ^ בלומנטל, איתי (2020-12-09). "אחרי שנקנה בשוק ב-10 שקלים התברר: החותם בן כ-3,000 שנה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Uncovering biblical king Jeroboam".
- ^ "'Fake' Seal Impression of Biblical King Jeroboam Is Authentic, New Study Says". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Jeroboam's Bulla". Digital Manna Ministries, Inc. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "2,700 years ago, tiny clay piece sealed deal for Bible's King Jeroboam II". The Times Of Israel.
- ^ "Archaeology news: 2.300-year -old seal of Biblical king Jeroboam II found in Israel | Science | News | Express.co.uk". www.express.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Ancient Hebrew seals : Reifenberg, A. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Avigad, N. (1964). "Seals and Sealings". Israel Exploration Journal. 14 (3): 190–194. ISSN 0021-2059.
- ^ "Seal from reign of Jeroboam II. "Shema, servant of Jeroboam"". JSTOR.