Wikipedia

Shema seal

The Shema Seal is an ancient jasper seal that dates 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
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

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.[4][5]

Discovery

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Archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher and his team began excavating at Megiddo and found the seal during a three-year excavation program.[6] The seal was discovered in 1904, in an excavation dump. The layers in which it was found were dated to the eighth century BCE.[7][8] Schumacher sent the original seal to Istanbul, but it was never returned.[9] In 1966 Gottlieb's daughter gave a testimonial that her father told her that the seal was placed in Abdul Hamid II's tomb.[10] A bronze cast was made before it was sent away.[11][12]

A cast bronze replica of the Shema Seal.

Reputed Shema Bulla

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The Shema bulla is a scaled down version of the Meggido seal.[13][14][15] The bulla's owner claimed to have bought it in the 1980s in Bedouin market in Be'er Sheva for 10 shekels.[16][17][18] 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.[19]

Text

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“Belonging to Shema (שמע)[20] the servant of Jeroboam.”[21][22]

לשמע עבדירבעם

lshmˁ ˁbd yrbˁm[1]

See also

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References

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  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.
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