Culture News
Israel reveals 2,500-year-old seal, stamp impression
2020-07-01 09:16:20
JERUSALEM, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A seal and a double stamp impression dated to the Persian period, about 2,500 years ago, were discovered in ancient Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Tuesday.
The findings were discovered by the IAA and Tel Aviv University next to the rubble of a large structure that was destroyed during the Babylonian destruction of the city.
The double seal impression was discovered on a large piece of a 4.5-centimeter-long clay, indicating that it was used to seal a large container, perhaps a jar, and not a document.
The imprint bears a Babylonian-style image of a person, probably a king, sitting on a large chair with two columns in front of him, representing the gods Nabu and Marduk.
The seal is made of a large, locally made pottery shard, with a circular frame engraved on its outer side, and is divided into two sections containing several linear inscriptions, probably representing two characters.
On the other side of the seal is a fragment, which may be indicative of a handle that was attached to it in the past.
The size of the seal, about 8-centimeter in diameter, indicates that it was used to seal large objects.
The new findings may indicate that despite the plight of Jerusalem after the destruction of the First Jewish Temple in 586 BC, efforts were made to restore the stature of the administrative authorities to normal, and its residents continued to partly use the structures that were destroyed.
Other artifacts were discovered along with the two items, including a broken pottery vessel decorated with a face of the Egyptian god Bes. Enditem
Editor:Jiang Yiwei