SILWAN, Israel — The Israel Antiquities Authority revealed May 23 what it is calling the earliest archaeological evidence of the city of Bethlehem.
Archaeologists have discovered a bulla — a piece of clay used to seal documents and other objects — that is only about half of an inch across and has the word “Bethlehem” written on it in ancient Hebrew.
“This is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods,” said Eli Shukron, director of the excavation, in a statement.
The first appearance of Bethlehem in the Bible is in the Book of Genesis after Jacob’s wife, Rachel, died following childbirth. The book says she was buried “on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” Bethlehem is also the hometown of the biblical King David, the setting for the Book of Ruth, and the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The bulla predates Jesus’ life on earth by several hundred years.
Shukron says it was likely used to seal shipments of remittances for taxes — which consisted of either silver or agricultural produce — in Judah during the late eighth and seventh centuries B.C.
Shukron says his find shows that a shipment was sent from Bethlehem to Jerusalem in the seventh year of a king’s reign, although he is uncertain if it was Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah on the throne at the time.
The Ir David Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and developing the City of David, is the underwriter for the sifting part of the archaeological project, which is being conducted in the Emek Tzurim National Park.
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