A RARE 2,600 year-old clay seal linked to a Biblical scroll that threatened to curse people with hunger and devastation has been uncovered by stunned archaeologists.
The exceptionally well-preserved artefact bears a Hebrew inscription and even a visible fingerprint that could belong to the owner.
It reads "Belonging to Yeda'yah (son of) Asayahu" who is thought to have been a trusted royal official at the time.
If true, this links Asayahu to a dramatic moment in the biblical account of King Josiah of Judah, who reigned over Jerusalem for 31 years.
According to the Hebrew Bible, a scroll dubbed the "Book of the Law" was rediscovered during King Josiah's time which warned of people's sins and impending divine punishment from God.
Those who disobey would be cursed with drought, famine, de