A RARE 2,600 year-old clay seal linked to a Biblical scroll that threatened to curse people with hunger and devastation has been uncovered by stunned archaeologists.
The exceptionally well-preserved artefact bears a Hebrew inscription and even a visible fingerprint that could belong to the owner.
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It reads “Belonging to Yeda’yah (son of) Asayahu” who is thought to have been a trusted royal official at the time.
If true, this links Asayahu to a dramatic moment in the biblical account of King Josiah of Judah, who reigned over Jerusalem for 31 years.
According to the Hebrew Bible, a scroll dubbed the “Book of the Law” was rediscovered during King Josiah’s time which warned of people’s sins and impending divine punishment from God.
Those who disobey would be cursed with drought, famine, defeat by enemies and other forms of devastating punishment.
Read more on biblical findings
It was uncovered in the Solomon’s Temple which was undergoing repairs in the late First Temple period – between the late 7th and early 6th century BC – after damage by the Babylonians.
Workers stumbled across the ancient scroll, known as Sefer haTorah, and immediately alerted the King.
A shaken King Josiah is said to have torn his clothes in fear, before enforcing major religious reforms across the land as a result.
A group of trusted officials were urgently sent off to purge pagan practices from Jerusalem, destroying altars, idols, and shrines.
And one of those among them was called Asayahu, described as “the king’s servant” – the same name cited on the seal.
“Obviously, we are not sure that the Asayahu mentioned on the sealing is the same that appears in the Bible,” Archaeologist Zachi Dvira told The Times of Israel.
“However, several such artefacts found in the area of the Temple Mount carry biblical names, and it does make sense, because these were not objects used by common people.”
Other factors that make it highly plausible is due to the fact seals like these were reserved for officials of high rank.
The object, known as a bulla, was probably used to seal a bag or storage container according to experts.
WHAT HAPPENED YEARS AFTER THE SCROLL WAS FOUND?
Interestingly, Jerusalem was invaded a few decades after the Sefer haTorah doomsday scroll’s discovery.
The temple where it was found was destroyed after Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and his army breached the city’s walls amid a series of campaigns.
Many died from famine as the city was cut off from outside supplies and deadly diseases spread.
The King at the time, King Zedekiah – son of King Josiah – attempted to escape the city but was captured.
He was forced to watch the execution of his sons before being thrown into prison, where he remained until his death.
