Israel 1/2 Sheqel coin earrings jewelry Jewish Lion of Judah Seal of Shema Jeroboam Judea Samaria Jerusalem Tel Aviv menorah Hebrew Haifa Rishon LeZion Petah Tikva Yiddish Bar Kochba Nazareth Palestine Star of David Jew Tanakh Torah Talmud e000438

Israel 1/2 Sheqel {1980-1985} 1SFEATURINGfront: Lion resembling the image of the siegelring of "Shema, servant of Jeroboam" with state emblem (menorah flanked by olive branches) aboveLettering: إسرائيل ISRAELישראלJeroboam II inaugurated the longest reign of a king of Northern Israel in 788 BCE. He ruled over a period of unparalleled prosperity, taking advantage of a lapse in strong Assyrian control of the Levant. Jeroboam’s name is preserved on a seal made of jasper that is dated paleographically to the mid-eighth century, ruling out Jeroboam I, a tenth-century king of Israel. The seal depicts a magnificent lion, realistically shown in full-throated roar with its tufted tail erect. Several other seals from the late Iron Age bear the title ‘bd hmlk, “servant of the king,” an indication that the ‘ebed was a high-ranking official of the kings of Israel and Judah. Biblical evidence lends further credence to this hypothesis. Circumstances of Discovery and Acquisition- This seal, made of jas