How did a shell from a pearl oyster native to the Indo-Pacific make its way to the Land of Israel 2,600 years ago?

A tiny, iridescent stamp seal found at the Tel Hadid archaeological site in central Israel gives some clues into far-flung trade networks and offers a unique glimpse into life in the years after the ancient Kingdom of Israel was overtaken by the Assyrian Empire 2,600 years ago, according to a study published last month in the journal Levant.

While most seals found in the region are made of stone, this one was delicately fashioned from mother-of-pearl, a fragile substance made from the inner layer of a mollusk shell found thousands of kilometers away, according to the paper written by Tel Aviv University professor Ido Koch and graduate students from TAU’s archaeology program.

This rare material, along with the imagery of a deity associated with northern Mesopotamia, suggests possible origins in trade and cultural networks.

“We were interested in understanding the chain of operations that led to the creation of this unique item and how it relates to interregional trade between the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the southern Levant,” Koch told The Times of Israel.

“There was significant interest in the trade of seashells during this period, and some are quite beautiful,” he said.

The seal was discovered in 2019 in a rock-cut refuse pit on the northeastern slope of Tel Ḥadid, about 25 kilometers southeast of modern-day Tel Aviv. The pit contained dozens of ceramic vessels, animal bones and other debris dating to the Iron Age, likely discarded after a destructive event that affected nearby homes.

One find stood out: an oval-shaped artifact, broken into two pieces, whose shimmering surface hinted at an unusual material. Researchers say the seal, measuring less than two centimeters in length, was carved from the shell of a Pinctada margaritifera, native to the Indo-Pacific.

While mother-of-pearl from such shells was highly prized in antiquity for its iridescent beauty,........

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