Three generations of Ammonite kings are mentioned in the Ammonite text that is inscribed on this bronze bottle: Amminadab, his father Hasal’l, and his grandfather Amminadab. This information is a valuable addition to our scarce knowledge about the Ammonites who ruled the northern mountainous area of Jordan.

The bottle was uncovered in 1972 at Tal Siran in the University of Jordan campus – once a suburb of the Ammonite capital. The eight-line inscription is dated to the end of the seventh or the beginning of the sixth century BC. The language of the text is Ammonite, an offshoot of the Canaanite family, but with clear Aramaic influences, who had a strong impact on the region during that period.

A few grains of wheat and barley, and seeds of weeds were found inside the bottle when it was discovered.

“Words with agricultural connotations like ‘vineyards’ appear in this poetic text, which might indicate that it was recited in rituals celebrating the harvest.”

Still, the text could simply have been a poem, judging from the literary character of the writing.

Site: Tal Siran in Amman.

Period: Iron Age II around 600 BC.