3,700-Year-Old Egyptian Seal Discovered at Tel Dor

News April 27, 2016

(Courtesy Tel Dor Excavations)
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Israel scarab seal
(Courtesy Tel Dor Excavations)

HAIFA, ISRAEL—A birdwatcher visiting Tel Dor last winter discovered an Egyptian scarab brought to the surface by heavy rains. According to a report in The Times of Israel, the seal is thought to have belonged to an official from the Thirteenth Dynasty, dating back to the eighteenth century B.C. “The scarab belonged to a very senior figure in the kingdom, probably the viceroy responsible for the royal treasury,” said Ayelet Gilboa of the University of Haifa. Researchers think the scarab may have been carried to northern Israel by the viceroy or his representative, or it may have arrived at the site later, during the Roman period, when there was a demand for Egyptian artifacts. To read about another recent Egyptological discovery, go to "Egypt’s Immigrant Elite."

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