Natan-Melech seal impression
The Natan-Melech seal impression or Nathan-Melek bulla is an archeological artifact that was found in the City of David, the oldest part of Jerusalem. It is believed to have belonged to Natan-Melech, aka Nathan-Melek, who is mentioned in the Bible, Kings 23:11, and served King Josiah. It dates to around the 6th century BC, the time of the first temple.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
The artifact, technically a "seal impression" or "bulla" made from clay that a stone seal was pressed into, is written in paleo-Hebrew and was probably used to sign official documents. [8] It is about one centimeter in size. It was found close to the Ikar Ben Matanyahu stamp-seal.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Nathan-melech". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ "Who Was "Natan-Melech" the King's Servant?". City of David. 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ "2,600 year old seal discovered in City of David". The Jerusalem Post. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ Mendel-Geberovich, Anat; Gadot, Yuval; Shalev, Yiftah (2019). "A Newly Discovered Personal Seal and Bulla from the Excavations of the GivꜤati Parking Lot, Jerusalem". Israel Exploration Journal. 69 (2): 154–174. ISSN 0021-2059. JSTOR 27098633.
- ↑ "Nathan-Melek: Servant of the King". Biblical Archaeology Society. 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ "Nathan-Melech: Found!". Armstrong Institute. 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ Weiss, Bari (2019-03-30). "The Story Behind a 2,600-Year-Old Seal: Who was Natan-Melech, the king's servant?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ VanderHart, Abby (2019-04-01). "What's in a name..." Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
2,600 year old seal impression may belong to Nathan-Melech, an official in King Josiah’s court