The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Monday that a large building containing what it called "an amazing wealth of inscriptions" dating from the eighth century BCE has been discovered in the Umm Tuba area at the southern end of Jerusalem.
The building was discovered during a salvage operation prior to construction in the area. It was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest and re-occupied by Jews between the Hasmonean period and the destruction of the Second Temple.
The authority says royal seal inscriptions discovered at the site date back to the reign of King Hezekiah. Other finds identify Umm Tuba with Biblical "Netofa", mentioned in the book of Samuel.