2,700-year-old ‘extremely rare and unusual’ artifact discovered in Jerusalem

Archaeologists have discovered an “extremely rare and unusual” ancient stone amulet in Jerusalem that could change our understanding of ancient reading and writing.

“The seal, made of black stone, is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem,” Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom, directors of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said in a statement, Fox reported. News.

The artifact was found at the Davidson Archaeological Garden during a joint dig by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation, the Times Of Israel reported. Estimated to be around 2,700 years old, the object is one of the oldest finds since excavations began at the site.

The trinket was prominently inscribed with the Paleo-Hebrew phrase, “Le Yeho’ezer ben Hoshʼayahu,” meaning “To Jeho’ezer the son of Hoshʼayahu”—referring to two prominent men who may have lived between the centuries 10th and 6th BC. The words were in mirror script – the opposite of the natural direction of the tongue – so the stamp could be used to press the words into the wax.

Meanwhile, a small hole in the stone indicates that it can be threaded with a string or chain.

From this, experts concluded that the trinket belonged to a high official in the Kingdom of Judah, who used the seal to sign documents and also wore it as a protective amulet around their neck.

Perhaps most significant was a depiction of a winged figure whose presence and design was apparently influenced by the Assyrians who ruled Judah at the time.

“This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery,” said IAA archaeologist and Assyriologist Dr. Filip Vukosavovic. “This is the first time a winged ‘jinn’ – a protective magical figure – has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology.”

He added, “Figures of winged demons are popular in Neo-Assyrian art of the 9th-7th centuries BC, and they were considered a type of guardian demon.”

In this case, the seal may have been used to symbolize the owner’s authority.

As for the bearer’s identity, the juxtaposition of the decorated figure and the somewhat haphazard inscription seems to suggest that the letters were added later.

Archaeologists assumed that the pendant was originally owned by “a man named Hoshʼayahu” — hence the carving — who was the aforementioned official “in the administration of the Kingdom of Judah,” the IAA wrote.

When he died, his son Jehoezer inherited the seal and inscribed his name and his father’s on the seal in order to acquire “the beneficial qualities which he believed the talisman embodied as a magical article.”

Writing probably shows that the ability to read and write was more widespread than previously thought.

“Contrary to what might be commonly thought, it appears that literacy in this period was not just the domain of society’s elite,” Baruch theorized. “People knew how to read and write – at least at a basic level, for the needs of trade.”