Shema seal

Shema Seal
Postage stamp depicting the Shema Seal
Material(Original) Jasper
(Bulla) Clay
WritingPaleo Hebrew
Created8th century BCE
Discovered(Original) 1904, Megiddo, Israel
(Bulla) bought from a Bedouin market in 1980
Present location(Original) unknown
(Bulla) Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem

The Shema Seal is an ancient jasper seal that dates to the 8th century BCE and mentions the King of ancient Israel, Jeroboam.

Written in the paleo-Hebrew alphabet, it is part of a larger group of artifacts known as Canaanite and Aramaic seal inscriptions. It is known as WSS 2 and KI 4k.

Discovery

Archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher and his team began excavating at Megiddo and found the seal during a three-year excavation program. The seal was discovered in 1904, in an excavation dump. The layers in which it was found were dated to the eighth century BCE. Schumacher sent the original seal to Istanbul, but it was never returned. In 1966 Gottlieb's daughter gave a testimonial that her father told her that the seal was placed in Abdul Hamid II's tomb. A bronze cast was made before it was sent away.

A cast bronze replica of the Shema Seal.

Reputed Shema Bulla

The Shema bulla is a scaled down version of the Meggido seal. The bulla's owner claimed to have bought it in the 1980s in Bedouin market in Be'er Sheva for 10 shekels. However, the owner's account was refuted by noted antiquities expert and trader Robert Deutsch, who provided evidence for the purchase of the bulla, along with a group of other fake bullas, from a known Jerusalem antiquities trader in Jerusalem. Deutsch went on to provide evidence for the bulla's forgery.

Text

“Belonging to Shema (שמע) the servant of Jeroboam.”

לשמע עבדירבעם

lshmˁ ˁbd yrbˁm

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Seal of Shema, Servant of Jeroboam - MC 0177 | Metzger Collection". metzgercollection.pastperfectonline.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  2. ↑ Merrill, A. L. "Shema' Seal". dl.atla.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  3. ↑ Ussishkin, David (1994). "Gate 1567 at Megiddo and the Seal of Shema, Servant of Jeroboam". In Coogan, Michael D.; Exum, J. Cheryl; Stager, Lawrence E.; Greene, Josesph A. (eds.). Scripture and Other Artifacts; Essays on the Bible and Archaeology in Honor of Philip J. King (First ed.). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 410–428. ISBN 0-664-22036-3. LCCN 94009998 – via the Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ KI4k
  5. ↑ Lidzbarski, Mark (1907). "Über einige Siegel und Gewichte mit semitischen Legenden". Ephemeris für semitische Epigraphik. Vol. 2. De Gruyter. p. 142-149. doi:10.1515/9783111588438-019. ISBN 978-3-11-158843-8. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  6. ↑ 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)
  7. ↑ Lidzbarski, Mark. "Seal of Shema, Servant of Jereboam". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  8. ↑ King, Philip J. (1988-01-01). Amos, Hosea, Micah: An Archaeological Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-24077-6.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ ""Shema, servant of Jeroboam" Seal's Mystery Resolved?". 11 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Dating the Iron Age IIB Archaeological Horizon in Israel and Judah. Zaphon. 2020. ISBN 978-3-96327-086-4.
  12. ↑ "Israel Museum Photos". www.julianspriggs.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  13. ↑ "Jeroboam's Bulla". Digital Manna Ministries, Inc. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  14. ↑ "2,700 years ago, tiny clay piece sealed deal for Bible's King Jeroboam II". The Times Of Israel.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "Uncovering biblical king Jeroboam".
  19. ↑ Deutsch, Robert (January 2024). "The Bulla of "Shema, Servant of Jeroboam" an Embarrassing Forgery". Gabriel.
  20. ↑ "Ancient Hebrew seals : Reifenberg, A. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  21. ↑ Avigad, N. (1964). "Seals and Sealings". Israel Exploration Journal. 14 (3): 190–194. ISSN 0021-2059. JSTOR 27924985.
  22. ↑ "Seal from reign of Jeroboam II. "Shema, servant of Jeroboam"". Visual Arts Legacy Collection. JSTOR community.13589433.