Extremely rare ancient seal with winged

A rare stone seal that dates again millennia has been present in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority stated Thursday. 

The black stone seal has been dated again 2,700 years and was discovered close to the Temple Mount’s southern wall, the authority stated in a information launch. The stone was discovered amid an excavation within the Davidson Archaeological Garden, the place many ancient relics have been beforehand found. 

The seal is engraved with what could also be two names written in an ancient type of Hebrew, in keeping with the authority, and bears the profile of a winged man carrying a hat or crown. Israel Antiquities Authority archeologist Dr. Filip Vukosavović stated the determine is probably going that of a winged “genie.” It’s the primary time such a relic has been found within the area, he stated, and reveals the influence of the then-dominant Assyrian empire. 

“This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery,” Vukosavović stated within the information launch. 

The object was doubtless worn by a person who had a senior place within the administration of the ancient kingdom of Judah, the authority stated. The stone seal would have been made by a neighborhood craftsman and worn as an amulet to point out authority. After that man died, the amulet was handed right down to his son, who added the 2 names on both facet of the genie. 

It’s doable the son even engraved the names himself, analysis associate Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa stated within the launch, as a result of they had been carved in a “sloppy manner,” a pointy distinction to the detailed work executed on the genie. 

The engraving work does present “further evidence of the reading and writing abilities that existed in this period,” in keeping with Dr. Yuval Baruch, the director of the excavation and the deputy director of archaeology on the Israel Antiquities Authority. 

“Contrary to what may be commonly thought, it seems that literacy in this period was not the realm only of society’s elite,” Baruch stated. “People knew how to read and write – at least at the basic level, for the needs of commerce.” 

More details about the stone seal can be shared throughout a analysis convention subsequent week, the authority stated.