It is called a bulla, and it is what the people of the ancient Near East used before the invention of rubber bands or paper clips. They would roll up their papyrus, wrap cords around the bundle and secure it all with a bit of clay. The clay would then be stamped with a seal — the primitive version of a John Hancock.

This particular bulla was dug out of the ground in October by an archaeologist named Yuval Gadot. In the many years he's been spading the earth in this city, Dr. Gadot, a professor at Tel Aviv University, has found several bullas.

This one is special. "This bulla connects to a whole context, a whole world, that we have been uncovering in this spot," Dr. Gadot explained.