Abstract
In this article, we discuss the seals used by the central administrative apparatus of Judah (later Yehud and Judea to mark jars intended to store wine and oil produced by its estates – a practice that developed in the late eighth century bce and lasted until the late second century bce. The longevity of the practice and the continuity of various aspects, such as the morphology of the jars and the location of the administrative focal points, have shown the stamped jars to be a nuanced tool for the study of the history of Judah throughout the long age of the empires. In what follows, we contextualise the images used in several phases of the system within their broader context and suggest their meaning as official insignia. We further propose a framework for assessing the absence of icons in the other phases.
Koch, Ido