Silver Bowl of Artaxerxes
This silver bowl (pictured) has an inscription of Artaxerxes I in Old Persian cuneiform around the inner rim: It reads…
“Artaxerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of countries, son of Xerxes the king, of Xerxes who was son of Darius the king, the Achaemenian, in whose house this silver drinking cup was made.”
Now compare the inscription with the Book of Ezra in the Bible
Ezra 7:12 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest. Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
This bowl is one of four similar examples found before 1935. This one resides in the British Museum.
