Discovery of the Bethlehem Bulla

Today, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of an ancient bulla (or seal inscription) related to Bethlehem. Measured at 1.5 cm, the seal which you can see in the image just below, contains the following lines:

בשבעת Bishv'at [in the seventh]
בת לחם Bat Lechem [Bethlehem]
למלך [Lemel]ekh [for the king]

Archaeologists, who found the seal while sifting soil at an ancient site in the City of David (just outside the walls of the second temple), believe that this bulla dates back to the first temple period and proves the existence of Bethlehem.