2,500-year-old City of David seal shows Jerusalem status in Persian period (Source jpost.com)

The biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah narrate that when Cyrus became King of Persia, he allowed the Jews to go back to Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by Babylon some 50 years prior. A unique double archaeological discovery in Jerusalem has shed light on life in the city in that period.

A stamp impression on a bulla (seal) made of reused pottery shards has been unearthed twice in the course of archaeological excavations undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University in the City of David. According to the researchers, the artifacts most likely date back to the Persian period, about 2,500 years ago, and offer groundbreaking archaeological evidence that even after the terrible destruction it underwent in 586 BCE at the hands of the Babylonians, Jerusalem maintained the rank of an important administrative center. In the Persian period, Judah became a province of the empire, which allowed local rulers to govern it. At the time, Babylon represented the dominant culture of the whole region and was very influential among educated elites, Gadot said. Therefore, it was no surprise that the seal and the seal impressions exhibit Babylonian features, he said. The discovery is considered especially important also because the findings offer insights into life in Jerusalem during the Persian period.