A new study by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has revealed the first-ever Assyrian inscription discovered in Jerusalem, dating to the First Temple period. The inscription was unearthed in an excavation near the Western Wall and provides rare evidence of direct contact between the Kingdom of Judah and the Assyrian Empire.
According to the IAA, the inscription - carved in cuneiform script on a stone fragment - dates to the 8th century BCE, during the time of the Assyrian Empire’s dominance in the Levant. This is the only Assyrian inscription ever found in or around Jerusalem from that period.
Researchers note that the find indicates possible political or economic ties between Jerusalem and Assyria during the First Temple period - a relationship that, until now, had little archaeological evidence in the city.
The partially preserved text appears to contain part of a name, which IAA scholars suggest may have belonged to an Assyrian official or captive associated with the city. The fragment was discovered in stratified context and authenticated using radiocarbon dating and epigraphic analysis.
According to the IAA’s statement, “The inscription provides rare testimony to communication between the court of the Assyrian king and the kingdom of Judah.”