Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a rare stone seal from the First Temple period during excavations at the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The seal, believed to be an amulet or a tool for sealing legal documents, is estimated to be around 2,700 years old and is inscribed with the name “LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu” (meaning Yehoʼezer son of Hoshʼayahu) in Paleo-Hebrew script .
Archaeologists suggest that the original owner, Hoshʼayahu, was a high-ranking official in the Kingdom of Judah.
Upon Hoshʼayahu’s death, his son Yehoʼezer inherited the seal and added the inscription with their names, presumably to inherit the amulet’s protective qualities.
An amulet or instrument for sealing legal documents
The name Yehoʼezer is mentioned in the Bible, more precisely in Chron. I 12:7 in its abbreviated form – Yoʼezer, one of King David’s warriors.
The seal also has a sculpted winged figure wearing a long, striped shirt and striding to the right. The figure has a mane of long curls covering the back of his neck, and on his head is a hat – or crown.
“This is an extremely rare and unusual find. This is the first time a winged ‘spirit’ – a protective magical figure – has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology,” explained Dr. Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to HeritageDaily.
A spectacular and unique discovery
“Figures of winged demons are known in Neo-Assyrian art from the 9th-7th centuries BC. and were considered a kind of protective demon.”
The Kingdom of Judah was subject to the hegemony of the Assyrian Empire and was probably influenced in aspects of culture and art.
“The spectacular and unique discovery discovered in the excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David opens another window to the days of the Kingdom of Judah during the First Temple period,” concluded Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
