Ammonite Royal Seals and Seal Impressions
The Tall al-Umeiri seal impression provides important archaeological evidence for an Ammonite royal official and a ruler generally identified with the Baalis mentioned in Jeremiah. The inscriptions also reveal the use of the Ammonite language, royal administration, and the importance of the deity Milcom in personal names.
About the Discovery
Seals and seal impressions from ancient Ammon provide evidence of the people who governed the kingdom. Officials used engraved seals to identify themselves and mark containers or documents. Many carried personal names, official titles, and decorative symbols.
One especially important discovery was made at Tall al-Umeiri in 1984. Archaeologists uncovered a clay object bearing the impression of a seal belonging to Milkomur, an official serving a ruler named Baalyasha. The seal included an image of a winged scarab beetle and symbols associated with royal authority.
Scholars generally identify Baalyasha with Baalis, the Ammonite king mentioned in Jeremiah 40:14. Other Ammonite seals also preserve names and titles that help reconstruct the kingdoms political organization. Some examples entered collections through the antiquities market and lack secure archaeological findspots, so their origins must be evaluated carefully.
Scripture Reference
Jeremiah 40:13-14; 41:1-3; 1 Kings 11:5, 33. Jeremiah names Baalis, king of the Ammonites. The passages in Kings refer to Milcom, the Ammonite deity whose name appears in the name Milkomur.