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Building remains from First Temple period exposed west of
Temple Mount
This is actually the first time in the history of the
archaeological research of Jerusalem th at building remains from the First
Temple period were exposed so close to the Temple Mount - on the eastern slopes
of the Upper City. The walls of the buildings are preserved to a height of more
than 2 meters.
Personal Hebrew seal made of a semi-precious stone
(IAA) - on right.
Another impressive artifact that was found in the
salvage excavations is a that was
apparently inlaid in a ring. The scarab-like seal is elliptical and measures c.
1.1 cm x 1.4 cm. The surface of the seal is divided into three strips separated
by a double line: in the upper strip is a chain decoration in which there are
four pomegranates and in the two bottom strips is the name of the owner of the
seal, engraved in ancient Hebrew script. It reads: ל×?ת×?יהו בן ×™×?ש
([belonging] to Netanyahu ben Yaush).
The two names are known in the treasury of biblical
names: the name ×?ת×?יהו (Netanyahu) is mentioned
a number of times in the Bible (in the Book of Jeremiah and in Chronicles) and
the name ×™×?ש (Yaush) appears in the Lachish letters.
The name Yaush, like the name ×™×?שיהו (Yoshiyahu) is, in
the opinion of Professor Shmuel Ahituv, derived from the root ×?ו"ש
which means “he gave a present” (based on Arabic and Ugaritic). It is customary
to assume that the owners of personal seals were people that held senior
governmental positions.
It should nevertheless be emphasized that this
combination of names - ×?ת×?יהו בן ×™×?וש
(Netanyahu ben Yaush) - was unknown until now.
In addition to the personal seal, a vast amount of
pottery vessels was discovered, among them three jar handles that bear LMLK
stamped impressions. An inscription written in ancient Hebrew script is
preserved on one these impressions and it reads: למלך חברון
([belonging] to the king of Hebron).
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