11. King Ahaz

This clay seal impression from the 8th century BC contains the Hebrew text, "Belonging to Ahaz [son of] Jotham, King of Judah." Ahaz was a biblical king referred to in the books of 2 Kings and Isaiah. Fingerprints can be seen on the left side of the impression, possibly those of Ahaz himself. The artifact is roughly one-half inch in size and is now in a private collection. Click on "Read more" below to see how a seal such as this, along with a string, were used to secure a papyrus document.

NOTE: Though the likelihood of authenticity is very high, the provenance of this item is unknown.