Story by Andrea Margolis
A group of excavators recently uncovered the first-ever Assyrian inscription found in Jerusalem — shedding light on ancient power struggles described in the Bible.
The inscription, which was carved on a small pottery fragment, was uncovered at the Tzurim Valley National Park in East Jerusalem. The find was announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Oct. 22.
Though the fragment was unearthed in the Tzurim Valley, it was originally part of rubble near the Western Wall, beside the Temple Mount.
The inscription belonged to the Assyrian civilization, the dominant empire in the Middle East during the time of biblical kings.
The Assyrians ruled much of the Near East from the 9th to the 7th centuries B.C., before Nineveh, their capital, fell. The inscription was written in Akkadian and dates back 2,700 years, according to officials.
“The inscription provides rare evidence of correspondence between the court of the King of Assyria and the King of Judah,” the IAA said, calling the fragment “tiny, extremely rare and historic.”
Archaeologist Moria Cohen, who spotted the artifact, told the IAA she was sifting soil when she suddenly noticed “a potsherd with a strange pattern.”