Ancient Jar Inscriptions From Israel Offer Clues on How King Solomon and Sheba's Kingdoms Were Connected, Study Says

Archaeologists have been struggling for over ten years to decipher the meaning of ancient jar inscriptions that date back to the time of King Solomon's rule over ancient Israel. After the long struggle, researchers were finally able to discover what these inscriptions meant.

Ancient Jar Inscriptions From Israel

According to Live Science, the pottery shard was found in an excavation in 2012 in Ophel, a part of Jerusalem. The jar shard was spotted buried among six other big jars.

Now, a new study that focuses on the inscriptions on this uncovered jar reveals how the embedded inscriptions on it were written in the ancient Sabaean script. This language was commonly used across the Arabian Peninsula in the Kingdom of Sheba, which is present-day Yemen, during biblical times. Findings were published in the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology.

The Times of Israel reports that the inscriptions on the large jar record an incense ingredient used in the temple. Live Science notes, more specifically, that the text reads "ladanum 5." This refers to labdanum, which is a plant-derived and aromatic resin for making incense.

Dr. Daniel Vainstub, the study's author and an archaeologist from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, says that the writings and language of the text trace back to the kingdom of Sheba, which was around 2,000 kilometers away. Dr. Vainstub explains that because the shard was discovered in Jerusalem, everyone thought that it was Canaanite. Nobody considered that it may have been inscribed in a different language, which may have been why the inscription remained puzzling for over ten years.

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Connections Between King Solomon and Sheba's Kingdoms

While the vessel was made locally, the text was embedded by a Sabaean speaker who had a position that involved the use of incense. Dr. Vainstub notes that this shows how the two kingdoms were strongly linked to each other.

Several centuries ago, the Sheba kingdom played a vital role in cultivating plants involved in incense and perfume production. The kingdom of Solomon, on the other hand, managed the routes of trade that intersected in the Negev deserts and were directed to the ports in the Mediterranean. This was where goods were ultimately exported.

Dr. Vainstub notes that the inscription shows that there was not just a Sabaean speaker during King Solomon's time; it also reveals the geopolitical systems across the region back then, especially considering where the jar was found. The shard was spotted in a region known for being an administrative center back under King Solomon's rule.

He notes that these findings show the cultural ties and trade relations that were shared by the kingdom of Sheba and King Solomon.

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