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Image: Tamir Zegman / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Divided Kingdom · c. 727–698 BCE
Bulla of King Hezekiah
Clay seal impression bearing the name of King Hezekiah of Judah.
Date
c. 727–698 BCE
Culture
Judahite
Material
Clay
Dimensions
13 mm x 12 mm
Found at
Ophel excavations, Jerusalem
Held by
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Discovered by
Eilat Mazar (2015)
bullasealhezekiah
Description
A small clay bulla (seal impression) reading "Belonging to Hezekiah, [son of] Ahaz, king of Judah," discovered in controlled excavations at the Ophel south of the Temple Mount. It bears a two-winged sun disk flanked by ankh symbols.
Biblical significance
This is the first bulla of a Judean king ever recovered in a scientific excavation, tangibly confirming Hezekiah's reign and his royal administration.
From the same era
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