In archaeological excavations the Israel
Antiquities Authority is carrying out at
the behest of the Western Wall Heritage
Foundation, in the northwestern part of
the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, a
rare and impressive Hebrew seal was
discovered that dates to the latter part
of the First Temple period. The seal was
found in a building that is currently
being uncovered, which dates to the
seventh century BCE – to the time when
the kings Manasseh and Josiah reigned.
The
seal will be shown today (Thursday,
October 30, 2008) during a study day
dealing with “Innovations in the
Archaeology of Jerusalem and its
Surroundings”, organized by the
Jerusalem Region of the Israel
Antiquities Authority and the Institute
of Archaeology of the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem.
According to the excavation director,
archaeologist Shlomit Wexler-Bdolah of
the IAA, “The seal, which apparently
belonged to a private individual, is
made of black stone, is elliptical in
shape and measures 1.2 x 1.4 cm. It is
adorned with an engraved decoration of
an archer shooting a bow and arrow. The
name of the archer is engraved in
ancient Hebrew script next to him and
reads LHGB (meaning: for Hagab).
The name Hagab is mentioned in the Bible
in Ezra 2:46, as well as in the Lachish
Letters, which also date to the time of
the First Temple”.
The seal was sent for expert
evaluation to Professor Benjamin
Sass of the Tel Aviv University and
Dr. Tali Ornan of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem. According
to them the image of the archer was
influenced by Assyrian wall reliefs
in which archers are portrayed
shooting bows and arrows – such as
those that are known from the
Lachish relief. The image of the
archer appears in profile: he is
standing in a firing position with
his right foot in front of his left.
His face is portrayed schematically
but his body, his dress and
especially the muscles of his arms
and legs stand out prominently. He
is barefoot. His attire includes a
headband and a skirt that is wrapped
around his hips. A quiver hangs from
his back and its straps are drawn
tightly across his exposed chest.
He is holding a bow and arrow in his
hands. His right hand is extended
forward holding the bow while his
left is pulled back grasping the
arrow. The seal is quite
unique since this is the first time
that a private seal has been
discovered that bears a Hebrew name
and is decorated in the Assyrian
style. The seal attests to
the strong Assyrian influence that
existed in Jerusalem in the seventh
century BCE. It is usually assumed
that the owner of private seals were
individuals who held government
positions. We can suggest that the
owner of the seal – Hagab, who chose
to portray himself as a Hebrew
archer depicted in the Assyrian
style – served in a senior military
role in Judah.
In the building where Hagab’s seal
was discovered, archaeologist
Wexler-Bdolah has previously found a
number of Hebrew seals of
individuals that held public
positions, as well as ten handles of
storage jars for oil and wine that
are stamped with royal impressions.
According to her, “This building was
erected at the foot of the Upper
City, at a distance of about one
hundred meters from the Western Wall
and it looks out over the Temple
Mount. The walls of the structure
were preserved to an amazing height
of approximately five meters. The
high quality of its construction and
the artifacts that were discovered
inside it indicate that the building
and especially its inhabitants had a
very important status in Jerusalem
at the end of the First Temple
period.”
