A 2,700-year-old Hebrew papyrus, from the first temple era, was recently discovered in Israel’s Judean desert. What is quite unique about this papyrus is it contains the Hebrew word, “Yerushalma” (hence Jerusalem Papyrus). Israeli Prof. Shmuel Achituv, an expert on the people of Israel living in the ancient East, deciphered the papyrus. According to Achituv, “Yerushalma” is mentioned in the El-Amarna letters, written in cuneiform. The letters were sent by the kings of Canaan to the Pharaoh in the 14th century BC.
Researchers believe the Jerusalem Papyrus is the earliest Hebrew documentation of the association between the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish people outside of the Bible. The papyrus is currently on display at Israel’s new National Archaeological campus in Jerusalem.
Read the full article about the Jerusalem Papyrus in the Jewish Press.
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Credit: Shai Halevi, courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority
