A rare 3,000-year-old seal from the times of King David and Solomon has been discovered by a 10-year-old Russian volunteer as a part of the Temple Mount Sifting Project in Jerusalem, according to The Times of Israel.
The seal, made of limestone and engraved with animals from around the time of the 10th century, was one of the first of its kind discovered in the area, according to The Times of Israel.
The dating of the seal corresponds to the historical period of the Jebusites and the conquest of Jerusalem by King David, as well as the construction of the Temple and the royal official compound by his son, King Solomon, Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the project, said in a statement. What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it originated from upon the Temple Mount itself.
Experts say the seal matches up with the administrative activity which took place upon the Temple Mount during those times, Barkay said in a statement.
But critics still question the authenticity of historical accounts in Jerusalem, which means the seal may not be from that time period at all and may represent a different culture, The Jerusalem Post reported.
But this seal, along with many other discoveries in the area, may prove a lot about Jerusalems culture and authenticity if found to be real, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The historical credibility of the Biblical text regarding Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE has been hotly debated by archaeologists since the 1990s. Yet recent finds from other excavations indicate that the descriptions found within the Biblical text relating to Jerusalem may, in fact, be authentic, according to a statement from The Mount Sifting Project.
The Mount Sifting Project, done with the help of Bar-llan University and the City of David Foundation, includes more than 170,000 volunteers who are digging through Jerusalem, according to The Jerusalem Post. More than 500,000 findings from the project are still being analyzed in a laboratory.
The seal, made of limestone and engraved with animals from around the time of the 10th century, was one of the first of its kind discovered in the area, according to The Times of Israel.
The dating of the seal corresponds to the historical period of the Jebusites and the conquest of Jerusalem by King David, as well as the construction of the Temple and the royal official compound by his son, King Solomon, Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the project, said in a statement. What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it originated from upon the Temple Mount itself.
Experts say the seal matches up with the administrative activity which took place upon the Temple Mount during those times, Barkay said in a statement.
But critics still question the authenticity of historical accounts in Jerusalem, which means the seal may not be from that time period at all and may represent a different culture, The Jerusalem Post reported.
But this seal, along with many other discoveries in the area, may prove a lot about Jerusalems culture and authenticity if found to be real, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The historical credibility of the Biblical text regarding Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE has been hotly debated by archaeologists since the 1990s. Yet recent finds from other excavations indicate that the descriptions found within the Biblical text relating to Jerusalem may, in fact, be authentic, according to a statement from The Mount Sifting Project.
The Mount Sifting Project, done with the help of Bar-llan University and the City of David Foundation, includes more than 170,000 volunteers who are digging through Jerusalem, according to The Jerusalem Post. More than 500,000 findings from the project are still being analyzed in a laboratory.