by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Archaeologists excavating in the Old City of Jerusalem have uncovered an exceedingly rare, highly artistic 2,700 stone seal that was probably made by a local Judahite craftsman, World Israel News (WIN) reports.
The seal was recently discovered near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount during excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David organization, WIN said.
Dating back to the First Temple period, the seal is inscribed in paleo-Hebrew script with the words “LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu,” WIN reports. Notably, the name Yehoʼezer is referenced in the Old Testament (Chron. I 12:7) in its abbreviated form – Yoʼezer, a warrior for Israel’s King David.
Moreover, WIN notes, the Old Testament book of Jeremiah (43:2), references the name Azariah ben Hoshʼaya while describing events that took place during this period.
Made of black stone, the seal depicts a figure with wings wearing a long striped garment.
“The figure has a mane of long curls covering the nape of the neck, and on its head is a hat – or a crown. The figure raises one arm forward, with an open palm; perhaps to suggest some object it is holding,” WIN said in its report.
“This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery,” Israel Antiquities Authority Archaeologist and Assyriologist Dr. Filip Vukosavović said in a statement. “It seems that the object was made by a local craftsman – a Judahite, who produced the amulet at the owner’s request. It was prepared at a very high artistic level.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was safe after “multiple shots” were fired near his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, several sources say.
Russia and Ukraine say they have exchanged 206 prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. The weekend exchange was welcomed by Ukraine’s embattled president, whose forces have struggled to halt the ongoing Russian invasion of his nation.
Dozens of people, including Americans, faced a tense Sunday after a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) handed down death sentences to them over an alleged coup attempt.
Hungary braced on Sunday for the Danube River, Europe’s main waterway, to reach record levels as massive rainfall caused deadly flooding across Central and Eastern Europe, damaging homes and leaving many without power.
Pakistani authorities detained a police officer who allegedly shot dead a man for “blasphemy against Islam” following the recent killing of a Christian on similar charges, Worthy News established Saturday.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration demands two permanent seats for African nations in the United Nations Security Council and an elected seat for a small-island developing nation.
The U.N. secretary-general has condemned Israel for attacking a school in central Gaza that killed “at least 18 people,” including staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).