What is a clay seal showing king?

Answer 1

A clay seal, also called a bulla (plural bullae) is a small device made of clay used to seal written documents and often with a royal or political connection. A bulla will have an image representing the official person or office issuing the documents. By pressing the bulla into a spot of wax, a document is sealed to show that it is an official message and to prevent tampering with the contents.

Clay seals date back to ancient civilizations in many places. Using clay to form a seal eventually gave way to making seals from metals.

Not all ancient bullae were used to seal documents, they could be used for other purposes. Some seals and seal impressions from the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age have talisman images designed to ward of evil.

There is ongoing speculation in the Archaeology community as to which kings are actually represented among the ancient bullae found to date. Many learned scholars have their opinions but even expert opinions are not necessarily facts.