These stamps depict either a four-winged scarab or a two-winged disc with lmlk 'belonging to the king' written above and a place name below.  They belonged to large storage jars of the type seen here, which were used to contain wine, grain or oil.  Four places are named:  Hebron, Ziph, Socoh and Momshit.  These were probably administrative centres in Judah where taxes in kind were brought and stored.

Such stamps are confined to Judah and may be specific to the reign of Hezekiah (716-687 BC).

WA 132061 [Z4L], 132061 [sic; wrong ID# for H2U], 132064 [S4L], 132072 [M2D with Circles], 1980-12-14 [Jar 5400], 4145 [H4L], 8247 [S2U]

VESSEL HANDLES

Fragments of Vessel Handles with Stamped Sundisk

• L1992.6.1 (formerly TL1991.222.8); 4 5/16 x 6 1/4 in. (10.9 x 15.9 cm)
• L1992.6.2 (formerly TL1991.222.9); 2 1/16 x 3 3/4 in. (5.3 x 9.5 cm)
• L1992.6.3 (formerly TL1991.222.10); 2 3/4 x 3 11/16 in. (7 x 9.3 cm)
• L1992.6.4 (formerly TL1991.222.11); 1 7/8 x 3 1/2 in. (4.8 x 8.9 cm)
• L1992.6.5 (formerly TL1991.222.12); 2 1/16 x 3 1/2 in. (5.3 x 8.9 cm)
• L1992.6.6 (formerly TL1991.222.13); 1 13/16 x 2 3/16 in. (4.6 x 5.8 cm)
• L1992.6.7 (formerly TL1991.222.14); 1 3/8 in. x 2 5/16 in. (3.5 x 5.8 cm)

Archaeology of Eretz-Israel section

'LMLK' (Belonging to the King)
Seals Impressions
Late 8th-Early 7th Century BCE

The seal impressions bearing an inscription in ancient Hebrew script were stamped on jar handles.  The jars contained food intended for the army and for civilians as part of the preparations for the revolt by Hezekiah, King of Judah, against Assyria.

The impressions are divided into three registers.  In the upper part, the word LMLK (Belonging to the King) is inscribed; in the middle, a winged beetle (either with two or four wings) and in the lowest register one of the names of the four administrative districts of Judah:  Mamshat, Hebron, Sokho, Zif.

(drawings of H4C, M2D, S2U, Z2D from "Biblishces Reallexikon [BRL2]")

Handles:  S4L, four x2x without Circles, two x2x with Circles, H2D, H4C, H4x Jar

Note:  In December of 2000, this section had just the S4L, two x2x without Circles, H2D, & H4C with the following placard:

Ancient Crafts and Industries section

Handles:  H4L, M2D, two x2x

Seals section

Seal impressions on jar handles

"of the King--Sokho"

"of the King--Zif"

"of the King--Mamshat"

Handles:  S2U, Z4L, M2U, M2D

Jerusalem display case

Handle:  Z2U

CITY SEALS ON THE HANDLES OF CARRYING VESSELS
(8-7th century BC)
The city seals of the 4 centres 'hbrn' (Hebron), 'swkh' (Socoh), 'zp' (Zif) and 'mmst' (?) controlling the economy and the trade in the Kingdom of Judah founded in the south after the disintegration of the Hebrew Kingdom.  Above the 4 winged scarab or the 2 winged disc, there is the word 'lmlk' (belonging to the king) and below, the name of the city

THE SEALS OF THE CITY 'zp' (ZIF)

Handles:  Z2D & Z4CI

THE SEALS OF THE CITY 'hbrn' (HEBRON)

Handles:  H4L & H2U

THE SEALS OF THE CITY 'swkh' (SOCOH)

Handles:  S4L, S4L, & S2U

THE SEALS OF THE CITY 'mmst' (?)

Handle:  M2U

155:  "Belonging To The King" (Hebron)

Handles:  H2U, S2U, & H4C

Stamped jar handles with the Hebrew letters, _lmlk_, meaning "belonging to the King" are found frequently in Judean sites in eighth and seventh century B.C. contexts.  The inscription also carries the name of a city--either Hebron, Ziph, Socoh, or Mmst.  The towns probably refer to the location of royal vineyard or another government industry in the Hebron area.  All the Tell Beit Mirsim handles are marked with Hebron.  The seal accompanying the inscriptions are of two types--the fourwinged scarab (the handle in the center) and the winged solar disc or "flying scroll" type (on either side).  Both kinds have been found in eighth century strata and were apparently in use contemporaneously.

lmlk 'belonging to the king'

Handle:  M2D with Circles

Many surviving paleo-Hebrew inscriptions mark the origin or ownership of produce with single letters or words

The letters shin and taw

Handle:  M2T

Admissions area

Handles:  Two H2U

Jar handles with _lmlk_ stamps are frequently found in 8th century B.C. Judean sites.  Above a "flying scroll" or "sun disk" design are Hebrew letters (_lmlk_) meaning "belong to the king," and below is the name of a Judean town, either Hebron, Ziph, Socoh, or Mmst (unknown).  Excavation stratigraphy and pottery chronology tell us that the king referred to is Hezekiah, well-known from the Bible.  The towns probably have royal vineyards.  The jars may have contained taxes in kind or supplies for the court.

STAMPED JAR HANDLES

These are found in Judah, not in North Palestine.  The figure is a winged scroll or possibly an eagle.  Above the figure is LMLK (למלך) of the King.  Below is the name of a district.  Probably wine collected for taxes was put into these jars and the stamp guaranteed correct measure.

The district name HBRN (חברן), Hebron is clear.

Note:  This was a short-term exhibit from a long time ago; at least one H2D from Beth Zur was on display & probably a few others as well.

Jar handle with a seal impression

Ceramic
Southern Levant, Tell Duweir (ancient Lachish)
Late 8th-7th century B.C.

Gift of Harris D. and H. Dunscombe Colt, 1934
34.126.67

Inscribed in Hebrew:
Belonging to the king, Hebron

Handle:  H2U

POTTERY  Iron Age

At least two main cultural shifts occured in the IA Levant, both being reflected in the manufacture of pottery.  While the transition from LB 2B to IA 1 is often undetectable in ceramic assemblages, definite changes in pottery forms accompany the consolidation of the Israelite Kingdom beginning around 1000 BC.  The next major transformation in pottery types in the Levant occurred around 800 BC, with the decline of Phoenician influence and the increase of Assyrian intervention.  There are also clear differences between the pottery types of Israel (north) and Judah (south).

Generally speaking, the pottery of IA 1 is cruder than that of LB 2B and IA 2.  Red burnished slip was a favorite finish on many vessels, from jugs and juglets, to bowls and kraters.  While many of the LB pithoi (large storage jars) did not have handles, most of the IA pithoi have handles and possess a 'collar' just below the rim.  These collared-rim storage jars are often viewed as typical for IA 1, but evidence for the collared-rim style traces back to the LBA and even the MBA.

With the onset of IA 2 about 1000 BC, Israelite pottery forms began to dominate in the hill country of Canaan, and significantly influence the pottery of surrounding areas, including the Transjordan.  In the latter part of IA 2, many commercial jar handles were stamped with seal-impressions bearing the names of various cities such as Hebron, Mamshit, Socoh and Ziph.  They also contained the designation la-melekh ("to the King [of]"), indicating that the contents of the jars were destined for use by the ruling administrators of specified cities.  Pottery making continued with few innovations until the end of the Persian Period (IA 3).

45.  Jar Handles, bearing the lmlk seal impression 95.017, 98.168, 98.169, 98.170 (Iron Age 2C, various locations in Israel)

Handles:  G2T, S2DW, H2U, M2U

"Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:  Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth Zur, Socoh, Adullam, Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron.  These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.  He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine." (2 Chronicles 11.5-11)

During the latter part of the Iron Age it became common for major distributors of olive oil and wine to specify the buyers of those commodities by means of special seal impressions on jar handles.  If the goods were part of a shipment belonging to a royal administration, seal impressions would carry the designation lmlk (la-melech, "[for] the king").  In addition, a lmlk seal often included the name of the city for which the goods were destined.

Each of these jar handles is stamped with the lmlk seal of a different city--Socoh, Ziph, Hebron and Mamshet.  The first three cities are mentioned in the passage quoted above.  Such seals probably marked the shipments of oil and wine ordered by Rehoboam for his fortified cities.

Excavators have found many jar handles which bear inscriptions like this. The symbol is usually a four-winged creature, or a two-winged sign known as a sun disc or a flying scroll. In addition, there is often the words "la melech" which means "to, or belong to, the king." These are often found at site [sic] in Judah and Benjamin, and sometimes bear the names of towns such as Hebron, Socoh, Ziph, and Memshat.

It is often suggested that these cities were royal store cities where taxes were levied, and that they were also key cities in the defense districts of Judah. Inscribed seal impressions were also found at El Gib and were important for the identification of the city of Gibeon.

Tel Erani
Israelite (Iron) Period II
1,000-587 B.C.

Handle:  M2D replica

Royal Administration

Hezekiah made for himself...storehouses for the yield of grain, wine and oil; pens for all kinds of cattle; and sheepfolds.  2 Chronicles 32:27-28

Hezekiah, who ruled Judah in the late eighth century B.C.E., did as much as any king to administer the economy of his country.  Standardizing measures and weights was part of a larger effort at centralization that also included suppressing outlying rivals to the Jerusalem Temple.

From his reign come thousands of large store jars stamped with special seals. The seals were inscribed lmlk, meaning "belonging to the king."  They show a four-winged beetle or a two-winged sun disk and bear the name of one of four cities, Hebron, Ziph, Socoh or the unidentified mmst [hatch mark over s].  The jars might belong to a system of taxation, or the seal impressions could represent the state's guarantee of their capacity.

The winged beetle and sun disk were solar images from Egypt.  However, even if the symbols were foreign in form, their meaning was indigenous.  The prophet Malachi described Yahweh as the sun of righteousness with healing in his wings, and the use of solar imagery to represent Yahweh was at least as old as the tenth century.

Hezekiah's royal seals and seals of individuals from the late eighth century B.C.E. also show symbols of the sun, like the four-winged beetle on the red carnelian seal of Hananyahu.

5.  Jar handle impressed with lmlk seal.  Ceramic.  The seal impression shows a four-winged beetle.  The partially preserved inscription originally read for the king (lmlk) above the beetle and Hebron beneath.  Mizpah, late eighth century B.C.E. (Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 2827).

Handle:  H4L

6.  Jar handle impressed with lmlk seal.  Ceramic.  The seal impression shows a two-winged sun disk.  The partially preserved inscription originally read for the king (lmlk) above the sun disk and mmst (an unidentified city) beneath.  Mizpah, late eighth century B.C.E. (Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 2339).

Handle:  M2D

Judean "royal stamp" storage jars date to the late 8th century BCE and contain the impression of a stamp on one or more of their handles.  These stamp impressions consist of three elements:  (1) An inscription in palaeo-Hebrew reading lamelek, which means "belonging to the King"; (2) a royal symbol--either a 2-winged sun disk or a 4-winged beetle; (3) one of four place names:  Hebron, Ziph, Sukoh, or mmst (an otherwise unknown place name).  Evidence suggests that these stamped jars were part of a centralized system to distribute the produce of Judean royal agricultural estates to soldiers and administrators. Almost two thousand of these impressed jar handles are known today.

Handle:  S2DR

8.  LMLK JAR HANDLE WITH TWO-WINGED SUN DISK
Ceramic
Gibeon
Iron IIB, 900-701 BCE
60-13-93
Inscribed:  lmlk [s]kh = belonging to the King.  [Su]koh.

Handle:  Z2D

9.  LMLK JAR HANDLE WITH TWO-WINGED SUN DISK
Ceramic
Gibeon
Iron IIB, 900-701 BCE
60-13-99
Inscribed:  lmlk zph = belonging to the King.  Ziph.

Handle:  Z4CI

10.  LMLK JAR HANDLE WITH FOUR-WINGED BEETLE
Ceramic
Beth Shemesh
Iron IIB, 900-701 BCE
61-14-1182
Inscribed:  lmlk = belonging to the King...[place name missing]

Handle:  M4C

11.  LMLK JAR HANDLE WITH FOUR-WINGED BEETLE
Ceramic
Gibeon
Iron IIB, 900-701 BCE
60-13-74
Inscribed:  lmlk mmst = belonging to the King.  mmst.