Assyrian religious-themed seal excavated at Yavneh

ANCIENT MATERIAL MULTI-CULTURE: Ancient Seal Found in Israel Reveals Moon and Star Worship 2,600 Years Ago (Abdul Moeed, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists have found an ancient seal in Israel that shows a man worshipping the moon and stars, offering new evidence of religious practices from more than 2,600 years ago.

The small stone object turned up at a large pottery-making site near Tel Yavne, on Israel’s southern coastal plain, about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Ashdod. Researchers date the find to the 7th century BC, a period when the Assyrian Empire controlled much of the region. ...

... Its flat base shows a bearded man facing left with one arm raised.

He appears to be gesturing toward a cult stand, a crescent moon, and an eight-pointed star, which researchers say represents the planet, Venus. A cypress-like tree stands behind him.

The moon and star symbols point to worship of a moon god and a major female deity, according to the study. ...

The study in the journal Tel Aviv is open access:

An ‘Assyro-Levantine’ Stamp Seal with a Worship Scene Found near Tel Yavne

Christoph Uehlinger, Pablo Betzer, Revital Golding-Meir, Daniel Varga & Gunnar Lehmann
Published online: 03 Jul 2026
Cite this article https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2026.2637186

Abstract

The city of Yavne is located in the southern Coastal Plain, ca. 15 km from Ashdod and ca. 40 km from Ashkelon. During an extensive archaeological excavation conducted approximately 200 m east of Tel Yavne, a large-scale pottery-production site was uncovered within layers dating to the Iron IIC (7th century BCE). A limestone seal depicting a human figure alongside symbols of worship was discovered on a working surface. This paper analyses the religio-historical significance of this finding while situating Yavne’s settlement within the geopolitical landscape of the Assyrian imperial period.

Now ask the next question. Why does someone living at Yavneh in the seventh century BCE own a seal depicting an Assyrian religious ritual? (Not just Yavneh. Lots of similar ones have been found in the Levant.) That leads to other questions. Who owned the seal? What did they seal with it? Using it was clearly a statement. What did it mean?

I can't see any of these questions addressed in the article. Of course we may not know the answers, but let's discuss the possibilities.

For many other archaeological discoveries from many periods at Yavneh (Yavhe), see here and links, here, and here.

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