Biblical World Tracker
A small clay bulla bearing the seal impression of Yeda’yah son of Asayahu was discovered by the Temple Mount Sifting Project. Dating to the late seventh or early sixth century BCE, the bulla may connect to Asaiah, an official mentioned in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 20 during King Josiah's reign. While the connection is plausible, it remains uncertain.
The discovery was announced by the Temple Mount Sifting Project in a press release, but no peer-reviewed publication has yet detailed the find. The paleographic dating is preliminary, and the biblical identification is speculative, so the claim is rated 'claimed' rather than 'probable'.
While sifting through debris from the Temple Mount dumped in the Kidron Valley, archaeologist Mordechai Ehrlich found a small clay bulla. The bulla bears the seal impression of a man named Yeda’yah son of Asayahu. Marks on the back indicate it once sealed a bag or container, and the front shows the seal impression, likely used to authorize the contents.
Based on the shape of the letters (paleography), the bulla dates to the late seventh or early sixth century BCE, the period of the late Judean monarchy. The findspot—material from the Temple Mount area—suggests the seal's owner was a high-ranking official.
Yeda’yah is not named in the Bible, but his father Asayahu might be. In 2 Kings 22:12 and 2 Chronicles 34:20, King Josiah sends Asaiah (a short form of Asayahu), the king's attendant, to consult the prophetess Huldah. If this is the same Asayahu, the bulla would be a rare artifact linked to a biblical figure.
The bulla does not prove the biblical account, nor does it confirm that Yeda’yah's father is the biblical Asaiah. It simply provides a name and title from the right period and place, making the connection possible but unproven. More evidence would be needed to establish a direct link.
Archaeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered the largest dam ever constructed in ancient Israel, dating to the late ninth century BCE during the reigns of kings Joash and Amaziah of Judah. The dam, located in the City of David, would have created the Pool of Siloam and reshaped the city's water system.
City of David Archaeological Park, Jerusalemlate ninth century BCE (Iron Age II)Site
An honorific inscription in the Yalvaç Museum (ancient Pisidian Antioch) mentions the Paulli family and L. Sergius Paulus, likely the proconsul of Cyprus who converted in Acts 13. This supports the idea that Paul and Barnabas traveled to Pisidian Antioch because of a connection with Sergius Paulus, possibly with a letter of recommendation. The find helps explain Paul's otherwise puzzling detour through rugged mountains.
Yalvaç Museum (ancient Pisidian Antioch)1st century AD (Roman period)Inscription
A salvage excavation conducted before construction of a new bus terminal uncovered a planned industrial and commercial district beneath the parking lot of Winter Stadium in Ramat Gan. The complex contained intersecting streets, shops, warehouses, pottery kilns, liquid-production installations, lamps, coins, tools, and other objects. It operated mainly during the early Islamic period and was later reused for housing.
Jaffa—biblical Joppa—with Jerusalem7th - 9th Centuries ADSite
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