The Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation started the excavations near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount in the Davidson Archaeological Garden. The archaeology team believes that the figure in the seal was designed in Neo-Assyrian Empire style in the 9th century BC.

The excavation directors emphasized the importance of this discovery, confirming the city’s biblical tradition. It also suggests that more people were literate in that period than scientists have previously assumed. Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom expressed their excitement and depicted the seal of black stone as “one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem, executed at the highest artistic level. The figure of a winged man in a distinct Neo-Assyrian style is unique and very rare in the glyphic styles of the late First Temple period. The influence of the Assyrian Empire, which had conquered the entire region, is clearly evident here.”

The seal has an epitaph in paleo-Hebrew: “LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu.” According to Baruch: “The name Yehoʼezer is familiar to us from the Bible in its abbreviated form — Yoʼezer, one of King David’s fighters, while also stating that in the book of Jeremiah, describing the events of this very period, a person is mentioned with a parallel name, ʼAzariah ben Hoshʼaya. The two parts of his first name are written in reverse order to the seal owner’s name, and his second name is the same, appearing in its abbreviated form. This writing form in the text fits the name on the newly discovered seal and it is thus appropriate for this time period.”

Ze’ev Orenstein, director of International Affairs for the City of David Foundation also highlighted the historical significance of this find: “The seal joins the list of countless archaeological discoveries in the City of David — the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem — affirming Jerusalem’s Biblical heritage. It similarly serves as yet another affirmation of the thousands-of-year-old bond rooting the Jewish people in Jerusalem — not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact.”

Another excavation project provides further understanding of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. Excavation Director Ayala Zilberstein stated: “Into the channel’s mouth were swept the detritus of the life above Jerusalem’s main street; where they remained preserved between the walls just as they were at the moment of the city’s destruction. Small finds tell us a big story, from Jerusalem’s heyday of prosperity and splendour when its streets bustled with life, until the city’s ebbing moments during the rebellion against the Romans, and its total abandonment following the Temple and city’s destruction.”

Source: https://www.christianpost.com/