“LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu” – A Rare Stone Seal From The First Temple Period Discovered in Jerusalem
An extremely rare and unusual stone seal from the First Temple period, about 2,700 years old, bearing a name inscribed in paleo-Hebrew script and a winged figure, was discovered near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, in the Davidson Archaeological Garden, during the excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David organization.
According to Dr. Yuval Baruch and Navot Rom, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The seal, made of black stone, is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem, and is executed at the highest artistic level.”
The object – which was engraved with mirror writing, served its owner both as an amulet and for legally signing documents and certificates. It has a convex cut on either side, and a hole drilled through its length, so that it could be strung onto a chain and be worn around the neck. In its center a figure is depicted in profile, possibly a king, with wings; wearing a long, striped shirt, and striding towards the right. The figure has a mane of long curls covering the nape of the neck, and on its head is a hat – or a crown. The figure raises one arm forward, with an open palm; perhaps to suggest some object it is holding. On both sides of the figure an inscription is engraved in paleo-Hebrew script – “LeYehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu”.
According to Israel Antiquities Authority Archaeologist and Assyriologist Dr. Filip Vukosavović, who studied the seal, “This is an extremely rare and unusual discovery. This is the first time that a winged ‘genie’ – a protective magical figure – has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology. Figures of winged demons are known in the Neo-Assyrian art of the 9th-7th Centuries BCE, and they were considered a kind of protective demon.”
The researchers believe that the object, upon which originally the demon image alone appeared, was worn as an amulet around the neck of a man named Hoshʼayahu, who held a senior position in the Kingdom of Judah’s administration. By virtue of his authority and status, this Hoshʼayahu allowed himself to ennoble himself and flaunt a seal with an awe-inspiring figure engraved on it – one embodying a symbol of authority. “It seems that the object was made by a local craftsman – a Judahite, who produced the amulet at the owner’s request. It was prepared at a very high artistic level,” says Dr. Vukosavović.
The hypothesis is that upon Hoshʼayahu’s passing, his son Yehoʼezer inherited the seal, and then added his name and his father’s name on either side of the demon. This he did, perhaps, to directly appropriate to himself the beneficial qualities he believed the talisman embodied as a magical item.
The name Yehoʼezer is familiar to us from the Bible (Chron. I 12:7) in its abbreviated form – Yoʼezer, one of King David’s fighters.
Also, in the book of Jeremiah (43:2), describing the events of this very period, a person is mentioned with a parallel name, ʼAzariah ben Hoshʼaya. The two parts of his first name are written in reverse order to the seal owner’s name, and his second name is the same, appearing in its abbreviated form. This writing form in the text fits the name on the newly discovered seal and it is thus appropriate for this time period.
According to Prof. Ronny Reich from the University of Haifa, a research partner, “Comparing the shape of the letters and the writing to those of other Hebrew seals and bullae (clay seal impressions) from Jerusalem shows that, in contrast to the careful engraving of the demon, inscribing the names on the seal was done in a sloppy manner. It is not impossible that perhaps it was Yehoʼezer himself who engraved the names on the object.”
“This is further evidence of the reading and writing abilities that existed in this period,” says Dr. Yuval Baruch, excavation director and Deputy Director of Archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Contrary to what may be commonly thought, it seems that literacy in this period was not the realm only of society’s elite. People knew how to read and write – at least at the basic level, for the needs of commerce. We know of many written seal impressions, in paleo-Hebrew script, from the environs of the City of David and the Kingdom of Judah.”
“The figure of a winged man in a distinct Neo-Assyrian style is unique and very rare in the glyphic styles of the late First Temple period. The influence of the Assyrian Empire, which had conquered the entire region, is clearly evident here,” adds Dr. Baruch.
“Judah in general, and Jerusalem in particular at that time, was subject to the hegemony of the Assyrian Empire and was influenced by it – a reality also reflected in cultural and artistic aspects. That the seal’s owner chose a demon to be the insignia of his personal seal may attest to his feeling that he belonged to the broader cultural context – just like people today in Israel, who see themselves part of Western culture. Yet within that feeling, this Yehoʼezer also held firmly onto his local identity, and thus his name is written in Hebrew script, and his name is a Hebrew name, which belongs to Judah’s culture. In recent years, the archaeological evidence is increasing – especially in the City of David excavations and at the base of the Temple Mount – and instructive regarding the extent of the Assyrian culture’s influence in our region, and especially in Jerusalem.”
Israeli Minister of Heritage, Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, welcomed the discovery: “The spectacular and unique find discovered in the excavations of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David opens another window for us into the days of the Kingdom of Judah during the First Temple period, and attests tto that administration’s international connections. In doing so, it demonstrates the importance and centrality of Jerusalem already 2700 years ago. It is impossible not to be moved by such an unmediated and direct encounter with a chapter of our past, a time in which the First Temple stood in all its glory.”
More information about the rare stone seal will be presented to the general public next week in Jerusalem, this coming Wednesday – September 4, at the 25th annual archaeological “City of David Research Conference.”
Photos: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority.
