First Temple era artifact unearthed in Jerusalem

Pottery sherd mentioning a payment from the Kingdom of Judah to Assyria may have been part of an ancient tax revolt, such as the one described in the Bible, researchers say.

By World Israel News Staff

Archaeologists working near the Old City of Jerusalem recently unearthed an artifact that may document an ancient tax revolt by the Kingdom of Judah against Assyria – such as the revolt by King Hezekiah against Sennacherib described in the Bible.

The artifact, a tiny, extremely rare pottery sherd, was discovered in an archaeological excavation near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, north of the City of David.

The sherd, which bears a cuneiform inscription in the Akkadian language, dates back to about 2,700 years ago.

Excavators found the sherd as part of an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeological excavation, which was conducted in collaboration with the City of David Foundation in the Emek Tzurim National Park.

Roughly one inch (2.5 cm) in length, the sherd is the only Assyrian inscription found in Jerusalem from the First Temple period.

Moriah Cohen, who works at the Archaeological Experience in Emek Tzurim, described the
moment the discovery was made.

“I was sifting through the dirt and suddenly noticed a sherd with a strange decoration. Examining it closely, it looked to me to be cuneiform, but that seemed totally unreasonable. Even though so many fascinating finds have been discovered here over the years, we’ve never, ever found anything like this.”

“I examined it yet again. After decidedly determining that this was no decoration, but really was cuneiform, I screamed out of excitement. Everyone raced to gather around me and I phoned Ayala, the excavation director, who was thrilled,” Cohen said.

“For me personally, the thought that after 2,700 years, I am the first person to actually touch this pottery with my hands is a very exciting thought. This is a once-in-a-lifetime find.”

The artifact was discovered in dirt that had been swept to the edge of the city’s central drainage
canal dating from the Second Temple period about 2,000 years ago.

This accumulation likely came from the collapse of an earlier First Temple period structure, discovered in an area where the later drainage canal was not preserved, thus enabling access to the earlier layer.

Located on the eastern slope of Jerusalem’s Western Hill, this site is among the closest places west of
the Temple complex where remains from the First Temple period have been found in their original
context – a fact that gives the find great importance for understanding the urban and political
development of the period.

According to Dr. Ayala Zilberstein, the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority,
“the inscription provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and
the Kingdom of Judah.”

“The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem and the extent of its influence on and involvement in the conduct of the affairs of the Judean kingdom,” she added.

“In addition, it expands knowledge about the status of the new neighborhood that developed at that time on the slopes of the hill to the west of the Temple. It appears that this area served as a focus for the activities of high-ranking ministers and persons.”

Drs. Peter Zilberg and Filip Vukosavović believe that the fragment of the inscription was part of an
inscribed royal sealing – a seal impression intended to seal a letter or an official dispatch on behalf of
the Assyrian royal court.

“Bullae or sealings of this type bore an impression that was sometimes accompanied by a short inscription in Assyrian cuneiform script noting the dispatch’s contents or its destination. These differ in size and shape from the local Judahite impressions.”

Analysis of the inscription fragment and its content reinforces the hypothesis that the sealed document
deals with a delay in paying a tax or another obligation. The inscription specifies a due date – the first
of the month of Av, in a calendar shared between Mesopotamia and Judah.

Furthermore, it explicitly mentions a chariot officer, the “one who holds the reins,” in Assyrian terms.

This title indicates a high-ranking personality responsible for conveying official messages on behalf of the royal house. Such a figure is indeed well-known from Assyrian administration archives.

Though the inscription fragment does not explicitly mention the name of the king of Judah, to whom
the shipment was intended, its chronological context and the partial text allow us to assume that it
was sent to the court of either King Hezekiah, King Manasseh, or early in King Josiah’s reign, during which Judah
was a vassal kingdom of Assyria. Items of this type would serve as a means of communication between
the envoys of the Assyrian government and the rulers of Judah, conveying official instructions and tax
demands.

“While we cannot determine the background for this demand, whether it stemmed from a mere
technical delay or was taken as a deliberate step with political significance, the very existence of such
an official appeal would seemingly attest to a certain point of friction between Judah and the imperial
government,” the researchers said.

One of the directions of research being examined is that the royal seal impression was sent to Judah during the time of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This suggestion notes the characteristics of the inscription and its dating to the reign of this king or one of his descendants. It perhaps echoes a story of a tax revolt, such as the biblical description of Hezekiah’s revolt against Sennacherib, recounted in Kings II (18:7), “And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and did not serve him.”

A petrographic analysis of the bulla indicated that it was not produced in Jerusalem but sent there
from far away, most likely from one of the administrative centers of Assyria, such as Nineveh, Ashur, or
Nimrud/Kalḫu.

Biblical archaeologyIsraeli archaeologyJerusalem archaeology