LMLK Incisions (The "+" and Circles)
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Some Type 484 jar handles (with & without LMLK seal impressions) were incised after firing, & possibly after the initial delivery or usage of their contents, with one of two distinct marks described below.  The seal impression photos shown on this website are classified with Incision Type designators:
  • 0 for no incisions
  • 1 for one circle
  • 2 for two concentric circles
  • C for circles, but of an uncertain number
  • P for the plus ("+") mark
  • x (lowercase) for handles that cannot be classified as having any incisions (e.g., they are too fragmented or the photos are cropped)
Click here for facts/photos of the Plus ("+") Marks

Click here for facts/photos of the Concentric Circles

In addition to those deliberate marks, several LMLK handles exhibit other peculiar incisions that may or may not have had some significance to the ancients.  One appears to be a simple line or parallel lines, herein referred to as Drag marks.  The other appears to be a hole, distinct from natural pottery craters, but similar to the central anchor dot used in the creation of Circles.  These Hole marks usually appear within the oval border of a LMLK seal, but there are other handles with them located elsewhere (such as the x4L handle with the Plus mark where it is located near the bottom of the handle).  The known specimens of these incisions are listed below.

Drag Marks

  • Gibeah G2T, 9:00, SGG, 1 (3 Drag marks) (ID#:  5-12, L-166, 16B-6)

  • Gibeon H2D, 3:00, SGC, 0 (single Drag mark) (field # 459; stamp # 172; museum ID# 60-13-119)
  • Gibeon H2D, 3:00, SGG, 1 (several Drag marks) (field # 411; stamp # 147; museum ID# 60-13-46)

Hole Marks

"When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep . . . when He marked out the foundations of the earth . . ."--Proverbs 8:27,29
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This page was created on February 25, 2002, & last updated on June 16, 2003