First Impression: What We Learn from King Ahaz’s Seal

It is time to give BAR readers a look at the first seal impression of a Hebrew king ever found. BAR editor Hershel Shanks knew of its existence before I showed it at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans in November 1996, so before the meeting he announced a contest to guess the name of the king.^a After the public lecture at the Annual Meeting, he disclosed the name of the king and announced the winner of the contest, a woman from Switzerland.^b Now, having published the seal impression in Hebrew,^c it is appropriate that its first English publication be in BAR.