Seal from First Bais Hamikdosh Period Found at the Kosel

A well-preserved piece of fired clay dating to the First Bais Hamikdosh period, with the Hebrew inscription “belonging to the governor of the city,” was recently discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Kosel Plaza in Yerushalayim, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The relic, dating from the 6th to 7th centuries BCE, “depicts two figures facing each other, and the lower part holds an inscription in ancient Hebrew script,” said Dr. Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, excavator of the site.”The finding of the seal with this high-rank title…supports the assumption that this area…was inhabited by highly ranked officials during the First Temple period.”

Yerushalayim Mayor Nir Barkat said the find “shows that already 2,700 years ago, Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, was a strong and central city. Jerusalem is one of the most ancient capitals of the world.”