By . Rob Waugh . Last updated at 9:56 AM on 27th December 2011 . A tiny clay seal found under Jerusalem’s Old City is the first relic of religious life inside Jerusalem's Temple Mount 2,000 years ago. The coin-sized seal found near the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall bears two Aramaic words meaning 'pure for God.' Archaeologist Ronny Reich of Haifa University said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. to 70 A.D. - the year Roman forces put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed the biblical Second Temple in Jerusalem. It's the first discovery of a written seal from the period - and the first time archaeology has offered confirmation of religious rituals in the Temple. Israeli archaeologists said on Sunday they had found the 2,000-year-old clay seal near Jerusalem's Western Wall, confirming written accounts of ritual practices in the biblical Jewish Temple . The find marks the first discovery of a written seal from that period of Jerusalem’s history, and appeared to be a unique physical artifact from ritual practice in the Temple, said Reich, co-director of the excavation. Very few artifacts linked to the Temples have been discovered so far. The site of the Temple itself - the enclosure known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - remains off-limits to archaeologists because of its religious and political sensitivity. Archaeologists say the seal was likely used by Temple officials approving an object for ritual use - oil, perhaps, or an animal intended for sacrifice. Materials used by Temple priests had to meet stringent purity guidelines stipulated in detail in the Jewish legal text known as the Mishna, which also mention the use of seals as tokens by pilgrims. The find, Reich said, is 'the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount - the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself' The find, Reich said, is 'the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount - the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself.' The site where the seal was found is on the route of a main street that ran through ancient Jerusalem just outside the Temple compound. Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, a biblical archaeologist not connected to the dig, said the seal was special because it 'was found right next to the Temple and is similar to what we see described in the Mishna.' 'It’s nice when we can connect an activity recorded in ancient sources with archaeological finds,' he said. The seal was found in an excavation run by archaeologists from the government’s Israel Antiquities Authority. The dig is under the auspices of a broader dig nearby known as the City of David, where archaeologists are investigating the oldest part of Jerusalem. The City of David dig, located inside the nearby Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan and funded by a Jewish group affiliated with the settlement movement, is the Holy Land’s highest-profile and most politically controversial excavation.
Dates from between 1st century BC to 70AD - period of Second Temple .
Used in ritual offerings in temple .
Confirms descriptions found in scrolls .
By . Rob Waugh . Last updated at 9:56 AM on 27th December 2011 . A tiny clay seal found under Jerusalem’s Old City is the first relic of religious life inside Jerusalem's Temple Mount 2,000 years ago. The coin-sized seal found near the Jewish holy site at the Western Wall bears two Aramaic words meaning 'pure for God.' Archaeologist Ronny Reich of Haifa University said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. to 70 A.D. - the year Roman forces put down a Jewish revolt and destroyed the biblical Second Temple in Jerusalem. It's the first discovery of a written seal from the period - and the first time archaeology has offered confirmation of religious rituals in the Temple. Israeli archaeologists said on Sunday they had found the 2,000-year-old clay seal near Jerusalem's Western Wall, confirming written accounts of ritual practices in the biblical Jewish Temple . The find marks the first discovery of a written seal from that period of Jerusalem’s history, and appeared to be a unique physical artifact from ritual practice in the Temple, said Reich, co-director of the excavation. Very few artifacts linked to the Temples have been discovered so far. The site of the Temple itself - the enclosure known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - remains off-limits to archaeologists because of its religious and political sensitivity. Archaeologists say the seal was likely used by Temple officials approving an object for ritual use - oil, perhaps, or an animal intended for sacrifice. Materials used by Temple priests had to meet stringent purity guidelines stipulated in detail in the Jewish legal text known as the Mishna, which also mention the use of seals as tokens by pilgrims. The find, Reich said, is 'the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount - the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself' The find, Reich said, is 'the first time an indication was brought by archaeology about activities in the Temple Mount - the religious activities of buying and offering and giving to the Temple itself.' The site where the seal was found is on the route of a main street that ran through ancient Jerusalem just outside the Temple compound. Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, a biblical archaeologist not connected to the dig, said the seal was special because it 'was found right next to the Temple and is similar to what we see described in the Mishna.' 'It’s nice when we can connect an activity recorded in ancient sources with archaeological finds,' he said. The seal was found in an excavation run by archaeologists from the government’s Israel Antiquities Authority. The dig is under the auspices of a broader dig nearby known as the City of David, where archaeologists are investigating the oldest part of Jerusalem. The City of David dig, located inside the nearby Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan and funded by a Jewish group affiliated with the settlement movement, is the Holy Land’s highest-profile and most politically controversial excavation.
said it dates from between the 1st century B.C. from that period of Jerusalem’s history, and ritual practice in the Temple, said Reich,