Image Details

R. REICH AND E. SHUKRON’S EXCAVATIONS IN THE CITY OF DAVID. PHOTO BY CLARA AMIT, IAA

IMPRESSED. Bullae, or stamp impressions made in clay, were found in a large rock-cut installation just south of the Gihon Spring. Dating to the second half of the ninth century BCE, they are the earliest such bullae from Jerusalem. Bullae with symbolic imagery attest to the developing administrative system of the Judahite state. This example features a motif of a Phoenician ship (with ship highlighted), reflecting the trade connections of the royal city.