The stamp seal from Tel HadidKoch et al, 2026; photograph: Sasha Flit, TAU; drawing: Ulrike Zurkinden, SSSL (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Posted on 06/30/2026 8:59:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Excavators of Tel Hadid recently released the discovery of a unique seal stamp from the seventh century b.c.e., the time of Assyrian domination of the Levant. It is not the first find from this remarkable site that gives us a better understanding of the people who were moved into Israel during the Assyrian period...
The first thing to stand out about the small oval seal (less than 2 centimeters at its widest) is its unique material. Made out of the inner shell of a nacreous mollusk, also known as mother-of-pearl because of its role in the creation of pearls, it is the first of its kind found in the Southern Levant. Based on the structure and thickness of the nacre, researchers believe it came from the Indo-Pacific region.
Further analysis shows the seal was likely shaped and perforated at the top and bottom by a skilled craftsman, allowing it to be hung on a string as an amulet, which the authors believe was its primary function. The work of the engraving, done by a copper-alloy tool, was of lesser quality than the perforation, so it is possible the engraving was done later.
(Excerpt) Read more at armstronginstitute.org ...
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The stamp seal from Tel HadidKoch et al, 2026; photograph: Sasha Flit, TAU; drawing: Ulrike Zurkinden, SSSL (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Thanks for the link!
Those scratched on stick figures were by a “skilled craftsman”?
I sometimes wonder if there WERE better artists at the time but ‘this was my cousin Al!’
You always come up with such interesting archeological finds.
Ones that make us ‘think’.
Nacre trade from the Indo-Pacific region to the Levant in the 7th Century BC? Hard to believe. Maybe overland caravans?
it is an easy to read yet highly detailed study of Assyria from its origins to its fall
I personally love it and highly recommend it
“No, silly! That’s Mommy an’ me...”
Further analysis shows the seal was likely shaped and perforated at the top and bottom by a skilled craftsman, allowing it to be hung on a string as an amulet, which the authors believe was its primary function. The work of the engraving, done by a copper-alloy tool, was of lesser quality than the perforation, so it is possible the engraving was done later.
“ Those scratched on stick figures were by a “skilled craftsman”?”
I see what you mean but it’s diameter is only slightly larger than a .38spl and fine tools were in short supply back then.
Okay; then by a autistic person with OCD they had sequestered in a stone hut to keep out of the way of the public.
Seagoing trade? Not hard to believe at all
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