Erez Avrahamov, an Israel Defense Force’s reserve soldier, was on leave and decided to take a walk in the Tabor Stream Nature Reserve when he spotted a bright orange object in the ground, Christian Headlines reports.

When he dug out the small oval-shaped carnelian stone, he discovered it had engravings on top. When he called the Israel Antiquities Authority about his find, Nir Distelfeld asked the reserve soldier if there was any engraving on the stone’s flat bottom.

When Avrahamov said that there appeared to be some type of winged creature carved on the bottom, Disteelfeld stated that the reserve soldier had probably found a 2,800-year-old Assyrian seal.

This was confirmed when the seal was later brought in for inspection. Typical of Assyrian seals at that time, the top was carved like a dung beetle. The bottom featured either a winged horse or a “mythical griffin.”

The seal which was found near Tel Rekhesh is considered one of the most important finds found at the site of the ancient Jewish fortress located at Anaharat (Joshua 19:19).

Since the Tel is also considered one of Israel’s more significant archaeological digs, this combined with the seal being made of semi-precious stone, which is also rare, makes the find even more impressive.

The seal dates back to Solomon’s temple and the time when Israel and Judah had divided into two separate kingdoms.

The presence of the Assyrian seal confirms the Biblical record that the Assyrians conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel. The find suggests that Assyria had set up an administrative headquarters at the site, as seals were used to stamp important documents to confirm their authenticity.