Archaeologists are reporting a stunning discovery, right in the shadows of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
A rare 2,700-year-old pottery fragment with a royal message is shining a light on key events found in the Old Testament.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Archaeologists in Jerusalem unearthed an Assyrian inscription on a piece of clay in a drainage canal at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. The one-inch artifact appears to be a part of a seal that was used to authenticate official documents.
“The composition of the bullae (inscribed clay) generally matches the components of the minerals and rocks in the Tigris basin and therefore the bullae most likely arrived here in Jerusalem as official documents from one of the Assyrian centers,” researchers explained.
This incredible find appears to confirm yet another Biblical narrative. Israeli tour guide Yoav Rotem tells CBN News it’s a clay seal with a message from Assyria that appears to be from the time of King Hezekiah during the First Temple period, relating to the biblical account of 2 Kings 18:13 that preceded the message.
“If you remember, King Hezekiah is facing a military campaign coming from Assyria,” he explains. “We know that the kings before Hezekiah…they have been under probable control or had to pay tax to Assyria.”
Researchers noted the inscription confirms the Biblical story that King Hezekiah delayed paying taxes to the empire.
The rare discovery was uncovered as part of an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeological excavation, in collaboration with the City of David Foundation and directed by Dr. Ayala Zilberstein of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Moriah Cohen, who works at the “Archaeological Experience” in Emek Tzurim, was the one to stumble upon the artifact.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
“I was sifting through the dirt and suddenly noticed a sherd with a strange decoration. Examining it closely, it looked to me to be cuneiform, but that seemed totally unreasonable,” she said.
Cohen, who says she was in disbelief, said she had to do a double-take to make sure it wasn’t a decoration.
To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2025 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
