The seal of a «governor of Jerusalem»,

about 2800 years old

Israeli archaeologists announced on Monday, January 1, 2018, the unearthing of an approximately 2,800-year-old clay seal said to have belonged to a «governor of the city» probably Jerusalem.

Introduction

The seal was uncovered while researchers were examining the remains of a First Temple structure, 100 meters northwest of the Western Wall, on a site that the Israel Antiquities Authority has been excavating since 2005.
The excavations also offered a glimpse of Jerusalem's Second Temple period, as well as a massive four-room Iron Age structure with a collection of six other seals whose origins suggest a prosperous, cosmopolitan Iron Age center of life.

Image opposite: the site (left of image) where the seal «belonging to the governor» was unearthed. The Kotel can be seen on the right. AAI.

The seal bears the inscription «belonging to the governor (sar) of the city» in an ancient Hebrew script (Paleo-Hebrew). It would date from the First Temple period, between the 10th and 6th centuries B.C. It would have belonged to the «governor of the city» of Jerusalem, who was then the most important function in the city. The seal was apparently attached to a kind of delivery sent in the governor's name.
Scientific tests to be carried out shortly should confirm the link with Jerusalem.

The video, in Hebrew with French subtitles, of the discovery by Dr. Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, director of excavations at the Western Wall Plaza by the Israel Antiquities Authority. © AAI

Description of the seal

The coin-sized imprint (13 x 15 mm, 2-3 mm thick) depicts above a double line: «two standing men, facing each other as if in a mirror [...]. Their outward-facing hands are lowered and their inward-facing hands are raised. Both figures are wearing knee-length striped clothing», according to Professors Tallay Ornan of Hebrew University and Benjamin Sass of Tel Aviv University.

Image opposite: «Governor's seal», 13 x 15 mm, 2-3 mm thick. Israel Antiquities Authority.

Two figures, with what appears to be a moon between their outstretched hands.
The moon on the seal could indicate certain foreign influences. «What's interesting is that the moon is considered an object of worship in certain neighboring cultures,» notes archaeologist Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah.

Mention of the word «governor» (or chief) in Scripture

This discovery confirms the biblical mention of the existence of a city ruler in Jerusalem, some 2800 years ago. The governors of Jerusalem, appointed by the king, are mentioned several times in the Scriptures, as in 2 Kings 23:8 (translated as chief in some versions) during the reign of Josiah, or again in 1 Kings 22:26, during the reign of Israel's king Ahab.
Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem, said:
«Several clues show that already 2800 years ago, Jerusalem, then the capital of Israel, was an important city. Jerusalem has been one of the world's oldest capitals for over 3,000 years.»