The mystery of the missing seal

During the early days of archaeology some important finds went missing and their whereabouts remain unknown.

One important example was a seal uncovered during 1903-1905 excavations at Megiddo which subsequently disappeared. But a recent announcement may have brought its existence to light again.

Excavating Megiddo

Gottlieb Schumacher was an American-born German archaeologist excavating in what was then a region of the Ottoman Empire called Palestine. The Tel at Megiddo was one of the most intriguing sites for archaeologists. Situated on an important ancient highway it had evidence of multiple levels of occupation throughout Old Testament history.

Schumacher identified six different levels of occupation. Among buildings belonging to the Eighth Century BC he made a stunning discovery. He had found a beautiful jasper seal with the image of a roaring lion and in an early Hebrew script the words ‘[Belonging] to Shema, servant of Jeroboam.’ The word used for a ‘servant’ does not imply some menial role – this was a high official of the king, underlined by the high quality of the seal itself.

There are two important King Jeroboams in the Old Testament. Jeroboam I (c. 930-909 BC) was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the division from Judah in the south. Jeroboam II (c. 782-753 BC) extended the boundaries of the northern kingdom and ruled over a time of great prosperity noted by the prophet Amos. Which of the two kings Shema served has been the subject of debate. Generally, scholars believe Shema was a servant of King Jeroboam II but David Ussishkin, who has directed excavations at Megiddo, has continued to maintain that it should be dated to the time of King Jeroboam I.

Secret of the Sultan?

As Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, Schumacher duly sent the artefact to the Sultan in Constantinople. That was the last time it was ever seen in public or handled by any scholar. Its whereabouts remain a mystery. Every image of the seal in circulation has been copied from a reproduction made at the time of its discovery. From belt buckles and bank notes to pendants and paperweights, the image of a roaring lion and reference to King Jeroboam has continued in circulation despite the loss of the original seal.

As evidence for the existence of King Jeroboam the loss of the seal rather undermines its credibility. However, in December 2020, Professor Yuvel Goren of Ben-Gurion University announced the conclusion of tests on a clay impression (see photo), known as a bulla, that was bought on the antiquities market in 1980. This seal imprint on fragile clay was of the same roaring lion and early Hebrew script with many of the same words. Though of a different size, it is clearly an impression of a similar seal belonging to Shema, servant of Jeroboam. Using a variety of different tests to exclude the possibility of it being a fake, the impression has been confirmed as genuine and is in the process of being transferred to the ownership of the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA).

One day the original Jeroboam seal, perhaps hidden in a private collection, may re-emerge, but in the meantime we now have an impression that bears testimony to its authenticity. It provides another example of historical evidence for a Biblical personality.