The (In) Authenticity of the Bullae of Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu

Goren, Y. and Arie, E. 2014. The Authenticity of the Bullae of Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 372: 147-158.

Bullae are small lumps of clay, often fingernail-sized and shaped as flat disks, which were usually affixed to a cord binding a commodity or a document and then stamped with a seal. Hebrew bullae from the time of the Kingdom of Judah are known from recorded excavations as well as from the antiquities market. This article reports the results of a set of analyses that were made of two celebrated bullae attributed to Berekhyahu (Baruch) son of Neriyahu, the scribe to the prophet Jeremiah mentioned in Jer 36:1–4. These results were compared with similar analyses of more than 180 bullae, most of them from Jerusalem. The results of the comparision, together with their interpretations, are presented, pointing to the production of the two Berekhyahu bullae in modern times.

Yes, you read that right- they are modern fakes.