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Welcome to the LMLK Hall-of-Fame lobby!
   

Here in the lobby of the LMLK Museum are the best-of-the-best seal impressions!

Send additional information or content corrections via E-mail to: 

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4000 YEARS OF WRITING HISTORY
POB 484
REDONDO BEACH CA  90277-0484
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Other wings of the philatelic museum:
   
   

G2T

Jerusalem, City of David (Kenyon's 1961 Reg. No. 190); present location unknown

Initially published in "Eretz-Israel vol. 15" by Andre Lemaire (Plate VIII:XII)

Photo:  credit unknown; courtesy of Joseph Aviram at The Israel Exploration Society

H2T

Gibeon field # 145; stamp # 47; inscription # 925; University of Pennsylvania Museum ID# 60-13-81; excavated 8-18-1956 from "pottery dump"

Initially published in "Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon" by James B. Pritchard (Fig. 9:145)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on May 31, 2004

Photo:  G.M. Grena

M2T

Jerusalem Area M, locus 1587 (Reg. No. 11878); present location unknown (presumably the Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Initially published in "Jewish Quarter Excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969-1982: Vol. I" by Nahman Avigad, Hillel Geva, & Gabriel Barkay (p. 260, #17)

Photo:  no one specific at Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology; courtesy of Joseph Aviram at The Israel Exploration Society

S2DR

Gibeon field # 146; stamp # 48; University of Pennsylvania Museum ID# 60-13-93 (on permanent display); excavated 8-18-1956 from "pottery dump"

Initially published in "Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon" by James B. Pritchard (Fig. 9:146)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on May 31, 2004

Photo:  G.M. Grena

Z2T

Unknown provenance; currently in the Redondo Beach collection

Initial publication on the LMLK Research website on February 22, 2003

Photo:  G.M. Grena

H2D

Unknown provenance; currently in the Redondo Beach collection

Initial publication on the LMLK Research website on February 22, 2003

Redundant publication in the English Wikipedia entry for "LMLK seal" on February 6, 2005

Photo:  G.M. Grena

M2D

Lachish; 1930s surface find--exact locus unknown; British Museum ("BM 132072" & "BM 1956-04-16, 14"); RAEL #273

Initially published in "On Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions Discovered at Tell Ed-Duweir (Lachish)--II" by David Diringer; PEQ vol. 73, July 1941 (Plate VII, fig. 15)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on February 21, 2005; redundant publication in "Lachish III (Tel ed-Duweir): The Iron Age (Plates)" by Olga Tufnell; "L'Epigrafia Ebraica Antica 1935-1950" by Sabatino Moscati; "The Lion Encyclopedia of the Bible" by Pat Alexander & Alan Millard

Photo:  no one specific at The British Museum; courtesy of Jonathan Tubb

S2DW

Gibeon field # 454; stamp # 167; University of Pennsylvania Museum ID# 60-13-95; excavated 8-5-1957 at pool depth of 6.6-7.3m

Sole publication on the LMLK Research website on June 5, 2004

Photo:  G.M. Grena

Z2D

Gibeon field # 480; stamp # 183; University of Pennsylvania Museum ID# 60-13-99 (on permanent display); excavated 8-6-1957 at pool depth 7.3-7.6m

Initially published in "The Ancient Near East" by James B. Pritchard (Fig. 79)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on June 5, 2004; redundant publication in "Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon" by James B. Pritchard; "Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still" by James B. Pritchard; "The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (2nd ed. w/ supplement)" by James B. Pritchard

Photo:  G.M. Grena

H2U

Lachish locus 4343; Tel Aviv University #38207; RAEL #404-68

Initially published in "The Conquest of Lachish by Sennacherib" by David Ussishkin (p. 48, Fig. 35)

Redundant publication in "The Archaeology of Ancient Israel" by Amnon Ben-Tor & Gabriel Barkay; "The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at Lachish (1973-1994) Volume IV" by David Ussishkin

Photo:  no one specific at Tel Aviv University's Institute of Archaeology; courtesy of David Ussishkin

M2U

Unknown provenance; present location unknown

Initially published in "No Trained Epigraphist Would Confuse the Two" by P. Kyle McCarter Jr.; BAR vol. 23 #2, Mar/Apr 1997 (p. 46)

Redundant publication in BAR vol. 23 #5 & vol. 33 #2

Photo:  Zev Radovan (ID# 448-1)

S2U

Unknown provenance; currently in the Michael Welch collection (previously owned by Gil Chaya)

Sole publication on the LMLK Research website on July 10, 2004

Photo:  G.M. Grena

Z2U

Unknown provenance; present location unknown

Sole publication in Archaeological Center's Auction 38 catalog (October 10, 2006; lot #249)

Photo:  Robert Deutsch

H4L

Azekah; present location unknown (presumably at the IAA; IDAM P-1497)

Initially described & illustrated in "Second Report on the Excavations at Tell Zakariya" by F.J. Bliss; PEQ vol. 31, April 1899

This is the most widely published LMLK handle of all!  It's the first one that could be read "Hebron" (though at least one other fragmentary "HBRN" had unknowingly been found decades earlier), & its discovery persuaded nearly all scholars to begin reading & interpreting the inscriptions as place-names rather than personal-names or votive slogans.

Redundant publication in "Excavations in Palestine During the Years 1898-1900" by Frederick Jones Bliss & R.A. Stewart Macalister; "Ancient Hebrew Arts" by A. Reifenberg; BA vol. 30 #2 by H. Darrell Lance; BA vol. 35 #5 by A.R. Millard; BA vol. 38 #2 by Ephraim Stern; Bible & Spade vol. 2 #3 by A.R. Millard; "Bible Side-Lights from the Mound of Gezer" by R.A. Stewart Macalister; "Canaan d'Apres l'Exploration Recente" by Hugues Vincent; "Der Alt Orient 30. Band" by Peter Thomsen; "Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land vol. 3 (Ji-N)" by Michael Avi-Yonah, Ephraim Stern, & M. Broshi; "Eretz-Israel vol. 15" by Andre Lemaire; "Handbook of Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions" by Shmuel Ahituv; "Inscriptions Reveal" by Efrat Carmon & Ruth Hestrin; "Israel Pocket Library: Archaeology" by Michael Avi-Yonah; "Le Iscrizioni Antico-Ebraiche Palestinesi" by David Diringer; "LMLK--A Mystery Belonging to the King vol. 1" by G.M. Grena; "The Hebrew Scripts, Part Two, The Plates, 1954-1957" by Solomon A. Birnbaum; "The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land vol. 3 (Jo-Pel)" by Ephraim Stern & Magen Broshi; "Archaeology in the Land of the Bible" by Avraham Negev

Photo:  R. A. Stewart Macalister

M4L

Unknown provenance; currently in the Redondo Beach collection

Initial publication on the LMLK Research website on February 22, 2003

Redundant publication in BAR vol. 30 #1 (book ad on p. 62); the English Wikipedia entry for "MMST" on February 9, 2005

Photo:  G.M. Grena

S4L

Unknown provenance (IDAM P-568); reportedly on permanent display in 1972 at the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem

Initially published in "Inscriptions Reveal" by Efrat Carmon & Ruth Hestrin (#84, p. 98)

Redundant publication in "Biblical Archaeology" by Shalom M. Paul & William G. Dever; "Eretz-Israel vol. 15" by Andre Lemaire; "Archaeology of the Land of the Bible" by Amihai Mazar; "Handbook of Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions" by Shmuel Ahituv

Photo:  credit unknown (possibly Photo Emka, H. Burger, N. Bareket, A. Glick, D. Harris, R. Milon, R. Kneller, Z. Radovan, S.J. Schweig, or no one specific at IDAM)

Z4L

Lachish; exact excavation locus unknown; present location unknown (presumably the British Museum)

Initially published in "On Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions Discovered at Tell Ed-Duweir (Lachish)--II" by David Diringer; PEQ vol. 73, July 1941 (Plate VI, fig. 13)

Redundant publication in "L'Epigrafia Ebraica Antica 1935-1950" by Sabatino Moscati; "Lachish III (Tel ed-Duweir): The Iron Age (Plates)" by Olga Tufnell; "The Alphabet Volume 2" by David Diringer; "Eretz-Israel vol. 15" by Andre Lemaire

Photo:  no one specific at The Palestine Exploration Fund; courtesy of Felicity Cobbing

H4C

Lachish; exact excavation locus unknown; present location unknown (presumably the British Museum)

Initially published in "On Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions Discovered at Tell Ed-Duweir (Lachish)--II" by David Diringer; PEQ vol. 73, July 1941 (Plate VI, fig. 6)

Redundant publication in "L'Epigrafia Ebraica Antica 1935-1950" by Sabatino Moscati; "Lachish III (Tel ed-Duweir): The Iron Age (Plates)" by Olga Tufnell; "The Alphabet Volume 2" by David Diringer

Photo:  no one specific at The Palestine Exploration Fund; courtesy of Felicity Cobbing

M4C

Gibeon field # 523; stamp # 213; University of Pennsylvania Museum ID# 60-13-74 (on permanent display); excavated 8-12-1957 at pool depth 9.0-9.8m

Initially published in "The Ancient Near East" by James B. Pritchard (Fig. 78)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on June 5, 2004; redundant publication in "Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps from Gibeon" by James B. Pritchard; "Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still" by James B. Pritchard; "Eretz-Israel vol. 15" by Andre Lemaire

Photo:  G.M. Grena

Z4CI

Unknown provenance; present location unknown

Initially published in "The Jewish Royal Pottery Stamps" by E.J. Pilcher; PSBA vol. 32 #238, March 1910 (Plate VIII, Fig. 1)

Probably from Bliss/Macalister's famous Shephelah excavations, 1899-1900

Photo:  E.J. Pilcher via plaster cast supplied by the Committee of The Palestine Exploration Fund

Z4CY

Unknown provenance; currently in the Redondo Beach collection (previously owned by Robert Deutsch)

Initially published in "Theology, History, and Archaeology in the Chronicler's Account of Hezekiah" by Andrew G. Vaughn (p. 197)

Detailed publication on the LMLK Research website on August 18, 2002

Photo:  G.M. Grena

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This page was created on April 1, 2008, & last updated on April 1, 2008; visits