From kings to ambassadors: First Temple seals, pottery found near US Embassy
A 2,700-year-old archaeological site recently uncovered in Jerusalem now offers an extraordinary glimpse into the life of the region at the time of biblical kings.
Located in the southern part of the city, between Talpiot and Ramat Rahel, the Arnona neighborhood acquired international fame when two years ago it became home to the US Embassy. Quiet and green, the area presents many spectacular views over the Judean Desert and even the Dead Sea, which can often be enjoyed from the new multistory buildings that keep on springing up.
It was while preparing the site for a new residential complex that the archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority (IAA) came across one of the most significant discoveries made in the city in recent years: a major administrative center believed to date to the days when Hezekiah and Manasseh reigned over the Kingdom of Judah.
“Excavations here started about two years ago,” IAA archaeologist Benyamin Storchan explained to The Jerusalem Post while touring the site. “Prior to the excavations, there was only one major ancient remain that was known in the area, a giant stone pile completely constructed of flint stone.”
Carrying an archaeological survey ahead of any construction projects is legally mandatory in Israel, and it is tasked to the IAA.
Aware of the presence of the ancient artificial hill near the site of the new buildings, the archaeologists explored its surroundings and came across a monumental concentric structure. Its size, the location which dominates the valley, as well as the artifacts uncovered provided evidence that the site was not just a common private estate but an important administrative center, from a period between the eighth and the middle of the seventh century BCE.
“We found about 120 stamped seal impressions on jar handles written in ancient Hebrew script, which translate as ‘belonging to the king.’ These stamped jars were usually related to tax collection. Up to this day, only 1,000 similar items have been found in over a century of excavations in Israel, which gives us an idea of the importance of this area,” Storchan pointed out.
The minute ancient Hebrew letters are still visible on the pottery, accompanied by different symbols, such as a flying eagle or a sun disk. Following is the name of one of four cities in Judah, Hebron, Ziph, Socho or Memshat. While the first three are well identified, scholars are still debating about the identity of Memshat, the archaeologist explained.
One of the hypotheses is that Memshat corresponded to the site uncovered in Ramat Rahel, located just across the valley.
“The second-largest collection of these stamped jars was found in Ramat Rahel where we know that an important administrative center stood,” Storchan said. “This circumstance raises a question: Was the site we just discovered a tax collection center satellite to the one in Ramat Rahel or an independent one? Or maybe it was a royal estate or an administrative office? This is one of the lines of research that we are pursuing.”
In the eighth century, the site was likely surrounded by
fields, olive groves and orchards. The jars were used to collect taxes for agricultural produce, such as wine and olive oil, in a standardized manner but could also be sent from the king to different cities for other purposes, such as funding military campaigns.
“The site is dated to a period documented in the Bible by upheavals such as that of the Assyrian conquest campaign – under the command of King Sennacherib in the days of King Hezekiah,” IAA directors of the excavation Neria Sapir and Nathan Ben-Ari commented in a press release. “It may be that the government economic provisions indicated by the stamp seals are related to these events. However, the excavation revealed that the site continued to be active after the Assyrian conquest. Moreover, the array of stamped seals indicated that the system of taxation remained uninterrupted during this period.”
While the stamped seals do not mention the name of the king, the pottery was instrumental in allowing the researchers to date the site, by comparing it to artifacts uncovered in different places.
The royal jars were not the only artifacts uncovered. Several similar items featuring private names – Naham Abdi, Naham Hatzlihu, Meshalem Elnatan, Zafan Abmetz, Shaneah Azaria, Shalem Acha and Shivna Shachar – were also exposed. The names appear on jar handles found in other sites from the Kingdom of Judah, suggesting that the people were probably senior officials or wealthy individuals.
“It is estimated that these are senior officials who were in charge of specific economic areas, or perhaps wealthy individuals at that time – those who owned large agricultural lands, propelled the economy of their district, and owned private seals,” Sapir and Ben-Ari added. •