Archaeologists have announced the discovery of a rare clay seal impression on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount that bears both an ancient Hebrew inscription and a visible fingerprint with Biblical links believed to date back 2,600 years.
The artifact, which surfaced during soil sifting, may be linked to events recorded in the Hebrew Bible, including the finding of a sacred law scroll during the reign of King Josiah.
The seal impression, known as a bulla, is inscribed with the words “Belonging to Yed[a‛]yah, son of Asayahu.” Researchers say the name closely matches figures described in biblical accounts of Josiah’s rule.
The object was found about three weeks ago by archaeologist Mordechai Ehrlich on the eve of the Jewish fast of the 17th of Tammuz. This day marks the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls and the beginning of the mourning period for the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
Fast-tracked research reveals ancient identity
Following its discovery, an expedited study was launched so the announcement could precede the 9th of Av, another day of mourning in Jewish tradition.
Epigrapher Anat Mendel-Geberovich and archaeologist Zachi Dvira deciphered the inscription, dating it to the late First Temple period, roughly the late seventh to early sixth century BCE.
Marks on the reverse indicate it once sealed a bag or container, and the preserved fingerprint is thought to belong to the ancient official who owned it.
Historical records in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles recount how workers repairing the Temple during Josiah’s reign discovered a sacred scroll, likely the book of Deuteronomy.
Warnings of divine punishment alarmed Josiah, so he sent senior officials to consult the prophetess Huldah.
Among them was an aide named Asayahu, described as “the king’s servant.” Scholars suggest the newly discovered bulla may have belonged to his son, Yed[a‛]yah, a high-ranking figure in the royal court or Temple administration.
Temple officials and Jerusalem’s final days
Government or temple officials typically used these types of seals to secure goods. During the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, storehouses held staples such as grain, oil, and wine, and were sealed with clay impressions that identified authorized overseers.
A previously uncovered bulla from the Temple Mount bears the name [He]zelyahu son of Immer, another treasury administrator from the same era.
While the fate of Yed[a‛]yah remains unknown, the discovery offers a tangible link between biblical texts and archaeological evidence.
It also provides a rare personal trace—a fingerprint—from an official who lived during one of Jerusalem’s most turbulent periods, just before the city’s destruction and the exile to Babylon.
