ISRAEL-ARCHAEOLOGY

Yana Tchekhanovets, an archaeologist with the Israeli antiquity authority, displays on March 7, 2016 a figurine believed to be over 2,500 years old, which was discovered during excavations in the City of David, in the Jerusalem Walls National Park. After nine years of excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), archaeologists at the site succeeded in reaching the strata of ancient Jerusalem where they found two seals inside a structure built of ashlars, according to a press release by the IAA. "Personal seals, such as those of Elihana and Sa'aryahu, were used for signing documents, and were frequently inlaid as part of a ring that was worn by the owner. In antiquity they designated the identity, genealogy and status of the owner of the seal", according to archaeologists, Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, Yana Tchekhanovets and Salome Cohen, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)