A remarkable stone seal dating back to the First Temple period, approximately 2,700 years ago, has emerged from the depths of history near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

This exquisite artifact, unearthed during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David organization, bears the name “Yehoʼezer ben Hoshʼayahu” in Hebrew script. In the middle of the seal is a depiction of a striding demon adorned with wings and a long-striped garment. The figure’s distinctive features include a crown-like headpiece, and its intricate design features a convex cut on both sides.

“The seal, made of black stone, is one of the most beautiful ever discovered in excavations in ancient Jerusalem and is executed at the highest artistic level,” Israel Antiquities Authority Director Dr. Yuval Baruch said.

“This is the first time that a winged ‘genie’ has been found in Israeli and regional archaeology. Figures of winged demons are known in Neo-Assyrian art of the 9th-7th Centuries BCE, and they were considered a kind of protective demon.”

Researchers theorize that the seal originally belonged to Hoshʼayahu, a high-ranking official in the Kingdom of Judah. Upon his passing, his son Yehoʼezer inherited the seal, adding both their names to the existing demon figure to harness its perceived magical properties.

“Judah in general, and Jerusalem in particular at that time, was subject to the hegemony of the Assyrian Empire and was influenced by it, a reality also reflected in cultural and artistic aspects. That the seal’s owner chose a demon to be the insignia of his personal seal may attest to his feeling that he belonged to the broader cultural context,” he said.