An excavation near the southern wall of the Temple Mount has uncovered a bulla (clay seal) bearing the name of King Hezekiah, who ruled over Judea at the end of the 8th century BCE. Daniel Eisenbud writes:
The impression [on the seal] bears an inscription in ancient Hebrew script stating: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah,” accompanied by a two-winged sun with wings turned downward, flanked by two ankh symbols symbolizing life. The bulla originally sealed a document written on a papyrus rolled and tied with thin cords, which left their mark on the reverse of the bulla. . . .
“This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation,” said [the excavation’s director] Eilat Mazar.
King Hezekiah is described favorably in the Bible (II Kings, Isaiah, II Chronicles) as well as in the chronicles of the Assyrian kings Sargon II and his son Sennacherib, who ruled during his time. . . . The Bible states of Hezekiah: “There was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those before him” (II Kings 18:5).
Read more on Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/First-ever-seal-impression-of-an-Israelite-or-Judean-king-exposed-near-Temple-Mount-436061