Puzzling Over a Jerusalem Genie

COURTESY OF ELIYAHU YANAI, CITY OF DAVID

The City of David excavations in Jerusalem, headed by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), have yielded a remarkable find: a black stone seal bearing an Assyrian genie (apkallu) figure and an inscription in paleo-Hebrew script. Hailed by excavation directors Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom as “one of the most beautiful [seals] ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem,” the tiny object is less than an inch long and dates to the Iron Age II period (c. 1000–586 BCE).

The genie on the seal is a beautiful attestation of a well-known figure from Assyrian royal and mythological iconography. In standard fashion, the winged figure, which wears a long striped tunic and a diadem, is shown striding in profile. In contrast to this expertly carved figure, however, the paleo-Hebrew inscription is rather haphazard. It reads lyh‘zr bn hš‘yhw, “belonging to Yeho‘ezer son of Hosha‘yahu,” presumably referring to the individual who likely wore the seal on a cord around his neck.

The difference in style and quality between the genie and the inscription has sparked debate about the seal’s origin. According to Filip Vukosavovic´, an archaeologist with the IAA, the object was likely carved by a local craftsman at the request of the individual named on the seal. But Assyriologist Shai Gordin of Ariel University comes to a different conclusion: The seal and genie were probably carved in Assyria, while the inscription was added later, once the seal had made its way to Jerusalem by trade or other means.