PHOTO © THE ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM

JUG LABELS. This jug from Tel Beersheba, a site in southern Judah, bears a Palaeo-Hebrew inscription with two names. It reads לאמריהו לנריהו, meaning “(Belonging) to Neriyahu, (belonging) to Amaryahu.” Both names include elements of the divine name Yahweh. Neriyahu means “My light is Yahweh,” and Amaryahu means “Yahweh has spoken.” The jug and inscription date to the eighth century B.C.E. (during the Iron Age II).