Hagab, Commander of the Archery Division in the Judahite Army

This rare seal from the 7th century BCE, excavated near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, is engraved with the figure of an archer. Next to the figure, the name of the seal’s owner appears: Hagab – a familiar Hebrew name from this period. Since the owners of private seals presumably held royal positions, it is possible that Hagab was a high-ranking officer in the Judahite army, perhaps a commander of the archery division.

The figure on the seal, engraved in the Assyrian style, attests to Assyrian influence on Judah not long before the kingdom’s fall some 2,700 years ago. However, it is difficult to explain why a Judahite officer would have depicted himself as an Assyrian warrior.