Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have uncovered a papyrus fragment that includes the earliest reference to Jerusalem in an extra-Biblical document, written in ancient Hebrew script and dating to the time of the First Temple (seventh century BC).
This papyrus, found in one of the Judean Desert caves, was dated to the seventh century BC. Image credit: Shai Halevi / Israel Antiquities Authority.
“It’s not just that this papyrus is the earliest extra-Biblical source to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew writing; it is the fact that to date no other documents written on papyrus dating to the First Temple period have been discovered in Israel, except one from Wadi Murabba’at,” said Biblical scholar Prof. Shmuel Ahituv.
“Also outstanding in the document is the unusual status of a woman in the administration of the Kingdom of Judah in the seventh century BC.”
Two lines of ancient Hebrew script were preserved on the remarkable document.
Most of the letters are clearly legible, and the proposed reading of the text appears as follows:
[מא]מת. המלך. מנערתה. נבלים. יין. ירשלמה
[me-a]mat. ha-melekh. me-Naʽartah. nevelim. yi’in. Yerushalima
From the king’s maidservant, from Naʽarat, jars of wine, to Jerusalem
“This is a rare and original shipping document from the time of the First Temple, indicating the payment of taxes or transfer of goods to storehouses in Jerusalem, the capital city of the kingdom at this time,” the IAA scientists said.
“The document specifies the status of the sender of the shipment (the king’s maidservant), the name of the settlement from which the shipment was dispatched (Na’arat), the contents of the vessels (wine), their number or amount (jars) and their destination (Jerusalem).”
Na’artah, which is mentioned in the text, is the same Na’arat that is referred to in the description of the border between Ephraim and Benjamin in Joshua 16:7: ‘And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naʽarat, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.’
“The document represents extremely rare evidence of the existence of an organized administration in the Kingdom of Judah,” said Eitan Klein, from IAA.
“It underscores the centrality of Jerusalem as the economic capital of the kingdom in the second half of the seventh century BC.”
“According to the Bible, the kings Menashe, Amon, or Josiah ruled in Jerusalem at this time; however, it is not possible to know for certain which of the kings of Jerusalem was the recipient of the shipment of wine.”
“Organic material — such as documents, particularly delicate paper like papyrus — perish over time due to their sensitivity to moisture,” said Amir Ganor, also from IAA.
“The dry climate of the desert is exceptional in that it facilitates the preservation of documents that provide invaluable information regarding the way of life in antiquity and the early development of religions.”
