Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have uncovered a small but highly significant artifact: a 2,700-year-old Assyrian clay seal fragment, inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform, discovered in a drainage canal beneath the Temple Mount in the Old City.
The fragment bears an inscription that appears to be a tax or tribute notice issued by the Assyrian Empire to the Kingdom of Judah — specifically referencing a delayed payment of tribute due in the Hebrew month of Av.
This aligns with the biblical account in II Kings 18-19 of the Judean King Hezekiah’s rebellion against the Assyrians, during the reign of Sennacherib, and the imposition of 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold as tribute.
Although the seal does not give a precise year, stylistic and linguistic analysis date it to between the late 8th and mid‐7th centuries BCE — exactly the tumultuous period when Judah was under Assyrian domination.
For historians and archaeologists, this find is important because it connects the textual narratives of the Bible with material archival evidence of Assyrian administrative practices in Judah. The discovery shows how small artifacts—mere seal fragments—can illuminate the political and fiscal relationships of ancient states.
According to one scholar involved in the research, Dr. Peter Zilberg of Bar‑Ilan University, “for me as a historian, this is somewhat of a flashlight in the fog of history.”
While the fragment alone doesn’t resolve all questions — for example, we still cannot definitively link it to a specific campaign or King — it strengthens the view that many biblical stories are grounded in actual historical circumstances.
The excavation underlines how combined approaches—archaeology, linguistics, paleography, and biblical studies—are essential to understanding the ancient Near East. It also serves as a reminder that even minor finds like a broken seal can reshape our perception of major historical events and texts.
