Rare First Temple-era seal impression found in Jerusalem

According to markings on the back of the item, it appears to be a seal impression that secured some types of storage vessel, making sure that only authorized personnel could open them.

By JNS

A rare First Temple-era seal impression (bulla) bearing a Hebrew inscription was unearthed three weeks ago by the Temple Mount Sifting Project, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.

A bulla is an inscribed clay, soft metal, or wax token used in commercial and legal documentation.

Based on the shape of the letters, the bulla is dated from the second half of the 7th century BCE to the beginning of the 6th century BCE.

The well-preserved clay seal was found by archeologist Mordechai Erlich, outlet Ynet reported. Epigrapher Anat Mendel-Geberovich and Zachi Dvira deciphered the letters as reading, “Yed[a‛]yah (son of) Asayahu,” which is understood to mean “Belonging to Yed[a‛]yah (son of) Asayahu.”

Presumably, this person was the owner of the seal.

According to markings on the back of the item, it appears to be a seal impression that secured some types of storage vessel, making sure that only authorized personnel could open them.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project is funded by private donors through the nonprofit organization Israel Archaeology Foundation, and is under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University.

It commenced its operations 20 years ago in light of the illegal digging operations in the Temple Mount area conducted by the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement. This group has since been outlawed for its ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Sifting Project has found many ancient items in the dirt, such as pottery, glass vessels, metal objects, bones, mosaic tesserae stones, as well as some 5,000 ancient coins, various pieces of jewelry, a rich assortment of beads, terracotta figurines, arrowheads and other weaponry, weights and more, according to the organization’s website.

More than 250,000 Israelis and foreigners had volunteered to participate in the sifting project.

Josiah, king of Judah

According to the Bible, during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah, 2,647 years ago, renovations were carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem during which a “Torah scroll” was discovered.

The king’s scribe read the contents of the scroll, which warned of a disaster that could unfold due to the sins of the people of Israel.

King Josiah in response, tore his clothes in horror and sent a delegation to the prophetess Huldah, who prophesied a future destruction of Jerusalem.

One of the members of the delegation was named Asayahu, whose name is accompanied by the title “servant of the king,” likely referring to a senior official and a trusted confidant.

The researchers who deciphered the seal speculate that it could have belonged to Asayahu’s son, as it is highly probable that he served in a high-ranking court position like his father, Hebrew-language outlet Behadrei Haredim reported.

A significant percentage of the names found on seals and seal impressions uncovered in excavations in Jerusalem have been identified with administrative figures mentioned in the Bible, the report continued.

Seals were not used by common people, but rather by individuals in high-ranking official positions.

According to the Bible’s account, Jerusalem’s walls were breached following a prolonged siege by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 36 years after the discovery of the Torah scroll.

Many of the city’s inhabitants were killed or exiled, and the temple was destroyed. Most of Jerusalem’s senior officials were exiled to Babylon.