The Final Phase of Iron Age II in Judah, Ammon, and Edom: A Study of Provenanced Official Seals and Bullae as Chronological Markers

In this monograph, Peter van der Veen investigates inscribed bureaucratic seals and bullae from the territories of Iron Age Judah (Cisjordan) and Ammon and Edom (Transjordan), which have been found in situ, both in primary and in secondary contexts. By looking at different aspects relating to the seals and bullae themselves, as well as at their archaeological provenance, van der Veen seeks to determine their significance for establishing absolute dates for the end of the Iron Age IIC period and for its historical relationship with the end of the Monarchy period and the invasions of the Neo-Babylonians and Achaemenids. Through an examination of the seals and bullae (palaeography, iconography, and the historical significance of identifiable persons or official titles within the Judahite, Ammonite, and Edomite state bureaucracies) and of their archaeological context (pottery and small finds from their immediate vicinity and evidence of military operations), van der Veen seeks to establish points of contact between the evidence of the seals and bullae and that of comparable archaeological sites in Cis- and Transjordan.