Israeli archaeologists this week unearthed a 2,600-year-old bulla, which is a clay seal impression, bearing the name Gedaliah ben Pashur, who was a minister at the court of King Zedekiah, the last Jewish ruler of Jerusalem just prior to the Babylonian destruction of the First Temple.

Ben Pashur is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah (38:1) together with another courtly politician, Yehuchal ben Shelemayahu. His name was found on an identical clay bulla discovered in 2005 at the same archaeological excavations in the ancient City of David outside Jerusalem's Old City walls near the Dung Gate.

"It's not often that such a discovery happens in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible," Hebrew University archaeologist and team leader Eilat Mazar said.

The earlier bulla was found inside what archaeologists believe was almost certainly King David's palace. The Ben Pashur bulla was found at the foot of the same impressive structure, under a tower built in the days of the Prophet Nehemiah.

Both clearly preserved bullae measure 1 centimeter in diameter and are lettered in an ancient Hebrew script. They were found among debris of the destroyed First Temple dating to the period between the 8th to 6th centuries B.C.

The discovery ends the third consecutive year of excavations in King David's surmised palace in the City of David. The hilltop was the original site on which King David declared ancient Jerusalem as his capital some 3,000 years ago.

More extraordinary finds are anticipated at the excavations sponsored by the Ir David (City of David Foundation), the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology as archaeologists continue to sift through the rubble.

Well-preserved remains of some of the most exciting engineering feats of the ancient world have been excavated deep under the City of David. Over the years, the site has become a popular tourist attraction offering visitors guided tours through the excavated Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Second Temple Shiloah pool, which are part of a grand water supply and storage system that supplied drinking water to the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.

In summer and during weeklong religious festivals at Passover and Sukkot, Ir David hosts festivals, concerts and family-oriented guided tours.