Assyrian Cuneiform Sealing Fragment from the Western Wall Area

Overview

In October 2025 the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation announced a small clay fragment inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform. It was recovered by wet-sifting soil from the Davidson Archaeological Park beside the Western Wall. The soil came from a Second Temple-period drainage channel and contained debris from a First Temple-period building. It was first presented at the New Discoveries in Jerusalem and Environs conference on 23 October 2025.

Petrographic analysis by Anat Cohen-Weinberger found the clay matches the geology of the Tigris basin, so the object was made in Assyria and carried to Jerusalem. The back carries a cord impression. Peter Zilberg describes it as 'probably a fragment of a bulla, an inscribed royal sealing.'

The readers report that the roughly 20 surviving signs mention a delay in payment, a due date on the first of the month Av, and an officer titled 'holder of the reins', a chariot post connected with the Assyrian court. They propose Hezekiah's reign, possibly his tribute revolt against Sennacherib, but also allow Manasseh or Josiah. As of September 2026 no peer-reviewed edition with a transliteration has been found.

What the text says (summary)

Reported content only: a delay in payment (from Judah), a due date on the 1st of the month Av, and the title of an Assyrian officer, the 'holder of the reins' (a chariot officer connected with the royal court).Summary of the decipherers' statements to the City of David Foundation and Times of Israel (22-23 Oct 2025). No transliteration has been published.

What the evidence shows

• Fragment c. 2.5 cm, with about 20 cuneiform signs preserved and a cord impression on the back (City of David; BAS).
• The clay's mineralogy matches the Tigris basin (Nineveh, Ashur, Nimrud/Kalhu region), not local Jerusalem clay (Cohen-Weinberger, IAA).
• Found in wet-sifted fill from a Second Temple drainage channel, mixed with debris from a First Temple-period building. This is a secondary context.
• The readers report a delay in payment, the 1st of Av as a due date, and the title 'holder of the reins' (a chariot officer).
• Date on paleography and language: late 8th to mid-7th century BCE.
• Zilberg says other, still unpublished sealings exist (Times of Israel).

Open questions

• Which Judahite king? The IAA/City of David readers propose Hezekiah and his tribute revolt against Sennacherib (2 Kgs 18:7, 13-16). BAS (Steinmeyer, 24 Oct 2025) reports the same team allowing Manasseh or Josiah. The fragment names no king, as reported, so the choice rests on the script date plus the biblical narrative.
• Tax notice or royal letter? The City of David page calls it a sherd concerning 'a delay in payment'; Zilberg calls it 'probably a fragment of a bulla, an inscribed royal sealing that served as a short summary'; BAS headlines it 'An Assyrian Letter to the King of Judah'. With about 20 signs and no published edition, the genre cannot be checked independently.
• Is it the first cuneiform from Iron Age Jerusalem? The City of David Foundation presents it as the first Akkadian inscription from First Temple Jerusalem. BAS calls it the second cuneiform inscription from the First Temple period found nearby. Which earlier object BAS means is not stated in the published BAS text.

Since 2024

• 2025-10Announced by the IAA and City of David Foundation on 22 Oct 2025 and presented at the New Discoveries in Jerusalem conference on 23 Oct. [1]
• 2026Crossref searches through Sept 2026 found no scholarly edition; Zilberg had said further sealings await publication. [2]

Sources

1. City of David Foundation, 'Rare Ancient Assyrian Inscription Found' (Oct 2025) link museum record
2. R. Tercatin, 'Biblical tax notice: 1st-ever Assyrian inscription found near Jerusalem's Temple Mount,' Times of Israel (22 Oct 2025) link study
3. N. Steinmeyer, 'An Assyrian Letter to the King of Judah,' Bible History Daily, Biblical Archaeology Society (24 Oct 2025) link study

Checked against new publications through 2026-09.