Since 2009, a team of archaeologists has been excavating an area of Jerusalem to the south of the Temple Mount knows as the Ophel, where they believe they have found a royal palace complex mentioned at various points in the Bible and perhaps first constructed by King Solomon. Sifting through a pile of debris that appears to have been left undisturbed since biblical times, they have discovered clay seals known as bullae, which were used to stamp letters and documents. Eilat Mazar, the excavation’s director, writes:
Each of the Hebrew bullae, measuring about 0.4 inches in diameter, had been stamped with a seal bearing the name of its owner. . . . Among the bullae found in the debris, only five show papyrus negative impressions on their reverse side. One of these is the bulla impressed with the personal seal of King Hezekiah. Seven of the bullae, . . . all with coarsely woven linen negative impressions on the reverse, appear to have belonged to the relatives of an important individual named Bes. . . .
Alongside the bullae of Hezekiah and the Bes family, 22 additional bullae with Hebrew names were found. Among these is the bulla of “Yeshayah[u] n-v-y[?].” The obvious initial translation, as surprising as it might seem, suggests that this belonged to the prophet [navi] Isaiah [in Hebrew, Y’shayahu]. Naturally, this bulla is far more intriguing than all the others found adjacent to Hezekiah’s bulla.
According to the books of Kings, Isaiah, and Chronicles, Isaiah prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah, in the late-8th and early-7th centuries BCE, and the two figures are closely associated in the biblical narrative. Although Hezekiah’s historicity has been confirmed by previous archaeological discoveries and contemporary Assyrian sources, this bulla would be the first extrabiblical evidence of Isaiah. Yet, although experts seem certain that the inscription refers to someone named Isaiah, the interpretation of the second word is unclear, especially since letters may be missing. Mazar explains the arguments for and against reading it as “prophet,” noting that “finding a seal impression of the prophet Isaiah next to that of King Hezekiah should not be unexpected.”
Read more on Biblical Archaeology Review: https://members.bib-arch.org/biblical-archaeology-review/44/2/7