Israeli archeologists uncover Assyrian inscription from First Temple period in Jerusalem

In the first of its kind, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), an "extremely rare" pottery shard bearing a cuneiform inscription in the Akkadian language from about 2,700 years ago was uncovered in an archaeological excavation near the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. 

The inscribed message addresses a delay in payment from the Kingdom of Judah to the Assyrian Empire. According to the Authority, the inscription may indicate a deliberate tax revolt, such as the Bible describes regarding King Hezekiah rebelling against Sennacherib, King of Assyria. This is the only Assyrian inscription from the First Temple period (8th to 7th centuries BCE) ever found in the city. 

"The inscription provides direct evidence of official correspondence between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah. The discovery strengthens our understanding of the depth of the Assyrian presence in Jerusalem and the extent of its influence on and involvement in the conduct of the affairs of the Judean kingdom," said Dr. Ayala Zilberstein, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "It appears that this area served as a focus for the activities of high-ranking ministers and persons," she added.

The tiny fragment, about 2.5 cm in size, was discovered during a wet sifting process conducted by the Archaeological Experience in the Emek Tzurim National Park – a joint project of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation. 

The unique piece was discovered in dirt that had been swept to the edge of the city’s central drainage canal dating from the Second Temple period about 2000 years ago. Likely, this accumulation belonged to the collapse of an earlier First Temple period structure, discovered in an area where the later drainage canal was not preserved, enabling access to the earlier layer.

Researchers believe that the shard was part of an inscribed royal sealing – a seal impression intended to seal a letter or an official dispatch on behalf of the Assyrian royal court. 

"The find opens a window into understanding the political and administrative ties between Judah and Assyria. It is the very first evidence of its kind of the official, and perhaps even tense, communication that took place between Jerusalem and the world’s most powerful superpower during the period we are discussing," the Assyriologists said.

The inscription specifies a due date – the first of the month of Av, in a calendar shared between Mesopotamia and Judah. It also explicitly mentions a chariot officer, the “one who holds the reins”, in Assyrian terms. This title indicates a high-ranking personality responsible for conveying official messages on behalf of the royal house. Items of this type would serve as a means of communication between the envoys of the Assyrian government and the rulers of Judah, conveying official instructions and tax demands.

One of the directions of research being examined is that the royal seal impression was sent to Judah during the time of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This suggestion notes the characteristics of the inscription, and its dating to the reign of this very king or one of his descendants, perhaps echoes a story of a tax revolt, such as the biblical description of Hezekiah's revolt against Sennacherib, recounted in Kings II (18:7), “And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and did not serve him.” 

"The discovery of the Assyrian inscription from the First Temple period in the very heart of Jerusalem is impressive evidence of the city's status as the capital of the Kingdom of Judah some 2,700 years ago, and of the depth of its ties with the Assyrian Empire just as described in the Bible. This rare discovery illustrates, once again, our deep roots in Jerusalem, which is the spiritual and national center of the Jewish people," commented Israeli Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu on the discovery.

The excavation is taking place in Jerusalem’s Davidson Archaeological Park, which is managed by the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter. The rare inscription was deciphered in collaboration with Dr. Filip Vukosavović and Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger of the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with Dr. Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University.

The artifact will be presented to the public for the first time on Thursday at the New Discoveries in Jerusalem and Environs Conference by the IAA, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv University.