Summary: While hiking in a nature reserve in Galilee, Israel, a man discovered a centuries-old scarab amulet-seal with ties to Assyria.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.– 2 Kings 15:29 (ESV)
Scarab Amulet Find
While hiking, an exciting discovery of a rare scarab amulet-seal was made by 45-year-old Erez Avrahamov, resident of Paduel. The amulet dates back to the First Temple period, almost 2,800 years ago.
Avrahamov found the red stone on the ground in the Tabor Stream Nature Reserve of Lower Galilee in northern Israel at Tel Rekhesh. This place is associated with the city of Anaharath mentioned in the Book of Joshua.
“The scarab may be from the period of the Assyrian rule and may indicate the presence of Assyrian officials (or perhaps Babylonian) at Tel Rekhesh during this period,” said Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologist Dr. Yitzhak Paz in the press release last month.
The Galilee Hike
“I had a two-day leave from the military and decided to take advantage of the sunny day to hike,” Israel Defense Forces reservist Avrahamov said, in the news release shared by the IAA. “While walking, I saw something shiny on the ground, and at first, I thought it was a bead or an orange stone. When I picked it up, I noticed that it was engraved like a scarab or beetle. I called the Israel Antiquities Authority and reported the amazing find.”
Avrahamov spoke with Nir Distelfeld of the Theft Prevention Unit at the IAA. “I received a call from Erez, and I understood that he found something special,” Distelfeld said. “I told him to take a good look at the other side of the scarab—the flat side—and check if it was also engraved. I immediately heard exclamations of excitement on the phone, and he told me that he could see a figure or image.”
The Special Stone
The scarab is a beautiful reddish-brown stone, roughly the size of a fingernail. One side of the stone depicts a beetle, while the other is intricately engraved with the figure of a winged creature, perhaps reminiscent of a griffin. This style of art is typical of the Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations that flourished during this time. Similar scarabs have been found and dated to the 8th century BC.
“The scarab, made of a semi-precious stone called carnelian, depicts either a mythical griffin creature or a galloping winged horse,” said Professor Emeritus Othmar Keel of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Scarabs were carved from a wide variety of stones but most often they were molded from a special ceramic material called Egyptian faience. This material was made of steatite, a grayish-white, soft talc stone, which would then be coated with a blue-green glaze. The glaze only survives in dry climates, such as Egypt. “Scarabs found in Israel rarely retain traces of the glaze; in this context, the deep orange color of this scarab is both rare and striking,” said the IAA post.
“The griffin appearing on the seal is a known artistic motif in Ancient Near Eastern art and is common on seals from the Iron Age. Considering the scarcity of finds discovered so far in the area of the citadel, and if indeed the seal can be dated to the late Iron Age based on iconographic considerations, it may be possible to link the seal to the Assyrian presence in the citadel of Tel Rekhesh, which may be a discovery of great significance!” explained Paz, an archaeologist who has conducted excavations at the site.
The Symbol of Scarabs
In ancient times, the scarab beetle was a sacred symbol in Egypt, seen as a reflection of the eternal cycle of life, renewal and rebirth. A scarab is a type of dung beetle associated with Khepri, the Egyptian god of the morning sun. Just as Khepri was believed to roll the sun across the sky every day, dung beetles are famous for rolling around balls of dung. They use them for food and to lay eggs in.
From a Biblical perspective, this is the sad fate of the Egyptians and other people groups who don’t know the true Creator God; they end up worshiping bugs that roll up balls of waste.
…For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. – Romans 1:20-25
However, the scarab stones’ significance went beyond religion. Beside amulets, they were also used widely throughout the ancient world as administrative seals, particularly by high-ranking officials. Many of them are still being discovered today and are popular among ancient artifact collectors.
Tel Rekhesh, Galilee
The ancient scarab was found at the foot of Tel Rekhesh, one of the most important tells in Galilee, according to Distelfeld. The site has been identified as the Canaanite city of Anaharath, which was given as territory to the tribe of Issachar (Joshua 19:19).
“And the fourth lot came out for Issachar, for the people of Issachar, according to their clans .… Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath.“ – Joshua:19:17,19
The city of Anaharath is also mentioned in lists from the Egyptian pharaohs, Thutmose III and Amenophis II.
Tel Rakhesh has been excavated so far during 12 seasons and many discoveries have been made. Archaeologists have uncovered remains of multi-period Canaanite and Israelite cities. Built over the ruins of the Israelite city is an Assyrian citadel or fortress.
On the top layer is an Early Roman period synagogue, predating the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It was part of a farmstead established on the ruins of the Assyrian’s Iron Age city. Based on the lack of pig bones, this was a Jewish estate. A 3-step plastered installation thought to be a ritual bath was also unearthed in this top layer.
The site is just under 10 miles southeast of Nazareth and may have been one of the Galilee synagogues that Jesus visited as described in the New Testament.
And [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. – Mark 1:38-39.
The city covered a total area of 45,000 square meters on the upper part of the hill that was surrounded by a wall. There are three separate terraces on the oval-shaped mound. A road on the western side of the tell slopes up to the city gate, located on the northern foothills. Two flowing streams go around the site and join on the western side, then flow towards the Jordan Valley.
The Assyrian Fortress
At the time the scarab amulet was made, “a large fortress stood on the tell which was apparently under Assyrian control, the empire that was responsible for the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It is therefore quite possible that the scarab, discovered at the foot of the tell, testifies to the presence of Assyrian (or possibly Babylonian) administration at the site,” said Paz.
During the Late Iron Age, the Assyrian empire conquered the North Kingdom of Israel in 732 BC. They destroyed most of the cities and villages, exiling some of the Jewish population and introducing harsh taxation.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. – 2 Kings 15:29
This beetle seal gives us a glimpse into the Assyrian administration that was here. If we can precisely date this seal, it could shed light on Assyrian presence at this strategic site, added Paz. He called the scarab “one of the most important finds” discovered in this area yet.
Conclusion
“We thank Erez, who showed good citizenship and delivered the rare scarab to the national treasures of the Israel Antiquities Authority,” said Distelfeld. “We awarded him a certificate on behalf of the IAA for demonstrating exemplary citizenship. Such a rare find can certainly expand our knowledge of the past.”
Evidence for Biblical history comes alive through the archaeological layers of Tel Rakhesh. Each successive layer of Canaanite, Israelite, Assyrian, and Jewish presence during the Roman era matches the history reported in the Bible and bolsters our confidence that what it says is true.
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Top side of the scarab seal. (credit: IAA)
